


Perfect Storm

by buffalo1221



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-19
Updated: 2015-07-27
Packaged: 2018-04-05 03:39:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 40
Words: 77,993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4164309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buffalo1221/pseuds/buffalo1221
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU. Ashlyn's in a rough patch in her life. Little does she know as she tries to piece her life back together, she's about to be hit with the perfect storm.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Gotta Start Somewhere

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just can't stay away! Lol. I got this idea and it just kind of took off.
> 
> I don't think it's going to be as long as some of my other stories but there will be lots of smut, angst and hopefully some cuteness packed in. It's a bit naughty and the characters are a lot different than I've written them before and there are some sensitive subjects that I will touch on a bit. Hope you all enjoy :)

The meeting was boring, but then again they always are so this crisp morning is really no exception. She isn’t sure how much longer she can listen to the same man drone on in his monotone voice about the same topic. The fact that he keeps fidgeting with his crimson striped tie and clearing his throat loudly every few minutes doesn’t help her concentrate any better either. 

She gets a poignant glare from the stuffy old man to her left when he looked over and saw her scribbling aimlessly on her notepad, but doesn’t pay him much attention. She has other things on her mind; like trying not to stand up and say how she is really feeling about the plan at the moment.

“Ali, will you be heading out there to try and clean this mess up?” comes the man’s voice from the front of the room.

Him using her name pulls her from her doodles, but she just inwardly rolls her eyes. It’s not really a question, it’s a directive. A directive that she knows she has to follow. 

“Of course,” she says as cheerily as she can manage and nods. She pulls out her phone and quickly emails her assistant to make the arrangements. “I’ll leave as soon as possible.”

It’s a compliant answer, as is expected, so the man in front of the room with a terrible comb over that fails to cover his growing bald patch dismisses her attention and turns back to the agenda he has needlessly projected onto the white wall behind him. 

Ali thinks it’s funny that no one can read it anyways since the man is standing in between the projector and the wall, casting a huge black shadow to mirror his overweight stature in the middle of the words, but she keeps her mouth shut. Obviously a bunch of old men wouldn’t know the slightest thing about technology. When it’s clear that he’s done speaking to her, she turns back to doodling and counting down the minutes until the meeting ends.

Three cups of strong, black coffee and two hours later, they finally finish up. This time, instead of being bored, Ali is angry. She scurries out of the room without so much as uttering a goodbye and hops in her charcoal gray Audi which is parked out front. She checks her email and sees the travel arrangements have been made so she heads for the airport. At least one good thing is coming of this, she is getting out of the frosty D.C. weather and heading for some sunshine.

 

……

 

“Fuck, Ash,” she moans out breathlessly as the blonde climbs back up her body from the position between her legs, kissing every inch of exposed tan skin on her way. “That was...”

“Amazing?” Ash replies with a cocky grin as she kisses the brunette deeply, letting her taste herself on her lips after the blonde’s hard work.

She returns her grin with an eye roll. “You always this cocky?” she asks as her hands slide to grip Ashlyn’s bare ass to pull her in closer.

Ash shrugs and lets the kiss go on for a few more moments before she pulls back. She glances at the clock quickly and groans. “As much as I’d love to continue this, I’ve got to get to work,” she supplies sadly, though she isn’t entirely upset about it. She hates awkward morning after encounters so the sooner she can get this woman on the road, the better.

“You’re not even going to offer me coff-” she starts but is quickly silenced by Ashlyn’s lips on her own.

“Sorry,” the blonde mumbles against her lips as her preset alarm begins ringing again. “I really need to catch up on some things.” She quickly slips off the bed and after tossing the woman her jeans and tank from the night before, walks over to her dresser and sets out a set of fresh clothes. “Can you see yourself out?” she asks absently as she pulls a wrinkled v-neck from the basket of clothes she had yet to fold from a few days ago. “I have to hop in the shower.”

The woman feels a bit put off that Ash didn’t just ask her to join, but nods and slips on the clothes the blonde tossed her. “Sure,” she says a bit despondently before walking over to where Ash was standing and giving her a kiss on the lips that Ash only slightly reciprocates. She really does need to keep her libido in check if she’s going to get to work on time. “Later, Ash,” she says with a bit of bite after pulling back from the kiss. She knows full well there likely won’t be a later.

As soon as she’s out the door, Ash rubs her eyes. _What am I doing?_

 

……

 

“Yes, I just landed,” Ali replies with a slightly annoyed tone and holds the phone out from her ear a bit to cut the noise. “No, dad. I’m not going to do that. I obviously want to see him. He sounded upset on the phone last week.”

She rolls her eyes at her father’s well-versed, generic response that comes from the other end of the telephone line. “I’m not just going to throw money at the problem as is the typical Krieger way. Hold on,” she mutters and tucks the phone into her chin before grabbing her plain, black suitcase off the baggage claim track. “I have to go, dad. I just got my luggage. Yes I’ll try to make a trip up to see her if time permits…My schedule is very busy right now… I know…Okay…I love you too.”

Ali quickly hangs up the phone and shoves it into her purse before pulling her suitcase behind her and out into the warm Melbourne air.

 

….

 

“There’s my favorite employee,” Jenna says as a disheveled looking Ash comes staggering into the bar around noon. She gives her a once over and rolls her eyes. “I take it you had a late night?” she asks as she walks over to the blonde and tugs on her inside out, wrinkled v-neck with a knowing look.

Ash looks down and groans. After pulling the shirt over her head and flipping it right side out, she rubs her eyes and downs the rest of her coffee before tossing the empty cup in the trash can of the office. “Well when you make me close the place I don’t get to start my after work festivities until late,” she replies with a smirk.

“You are too much, Harris,” the Latina says with a shake of her head. “You can't sleep off your problems you know. Now get to work! Those books aren’t going to balance themselves," she adds with a laugh and playful gesture. 

With a glance towards the large stack of bills, Ash lets out a sigh. “And just where are you going?”

Jenna returns her question with a wide grin. “Do you have eyes? Can’t you see how great the surf is right now!” She laughs when Ash’s face contorts into a pout when she glances past her and sees the perfectly cresting waves past the bar's open patio. “Aw don’t worry Ash,” she says with an amused grin and pinches her cheeks jokingly. “I’ll be back before it gets too crazy in here. And maybe, just maybe I'll let you out early tonight?" she adds with a wink.

“Yeah, yeah,” Ashlyn grumbles as she watches her boss and best friend walk out of the bar into the parking lot. She grabs her well-worn board off the roof of her ten year old, bright red Range Rover and leans it up against the side. After slipping in the backseat she starts changing into her wetsuit so Ash averts her eyes and turns her attention back to the stack of papers on the desk.

“Gotta start somewhere,” Ash mumbles as she plops into the chair and clicks the computer monitor on. Her phone vibrates while she waits for the accounting program to open and after getting the surf report that her friend Kenny had texted her, she really wishes this job wasn’t her only source of income at the moment. As much as she appreciates Jenna helping her out and giving her the work, she wishes things could go back to how they were before. Before everything that could seemingly go wrong, did.

 

…

 

It’s late when Ali finally gets dropped off at her house. She grabs the key from under the mat where she left it and unlocks the door to her beach house before dragging her suitcase in behind her. The ornate grandfather clock in the entryway reads 9pm as she walks by with her bags in tow. Once in her bedroom she tosses her suitcase down on the King bed.

A loud growl from her stomach reminds her that she hasn’t eaten since lunch and she quickly realizes she won’t be able to sleep if she doesn’t get some food in her system. Halfway to the kitchen, she remembers that the fridge is empty. It’s been over a month since she’s been there and after a rather nasty mold incident the year before she always makes sure to clean it out before she goes out of town, which is very often. The little house on the beach actually seems more like a vacation home than a permanent residence with the infrequency of her visits.

After letting out an annoyed groan, she glances up and peers out the French Doors that lead to her pristine, wooden porch that overlooks the beach. The sun had set a few hours ago and the moon was hanging high in the sky in its place, leaving a brilliant trail of golden light across the tepid ocean water. 

The sight was beautiful, something she would never grow tired of seeing, but it also made her a bit depressed. It always bothered her that life was so busy she often didn’t get to enjoy the simple things in it. Always being on the move or having to be mindful of her reputation, held her back from truly enjoying life. Though she had more than most people could ever want, it wasn’t necessarily the life she would have chosen for herself, or the life she even wanted.

Unsure if it was the pensive mood she was in at the moment or the few vodka drinks she had consumed on the plane to ease her tension, Ali decides to throw caution to the wind and go out for a bite to eat and a drink. Too tired to change, she decides to head out in the skirt and blazer she’s been wearing all day and after grabbing her keys out of the hand blown glass bowl in the entryway, she slips into her car. 

Without a second thought, she pulls out of her driveway and heads to the bar down the street. She doesn’t know much about it as she’s never been, but every time she’s driven by it, the outside patio was packed since it cozied up to the beach. Within two minutes she’s parked her car and is walking up to the front door of JJ’s Bar and Grill.


	2. Hook, Line & Sinker

As soon as she pushes open the thick wooden door, Ali realizes the place screams beach bar. From the wooden planks on the floor that flow halfway up the wall to the starfish and seahorse pictures that are framed and hanging on the wall, she rolls her eyes. The rusted anchor above the bar and tattered fishing nets that stretch over portions of the ceilings just further emphasize the fact. _Typical beach town bar_.

As if the décor wasn’t enough, when Ali shifts her attention to the _people_ in the bar, she immediately feels like she doesn’t belong. The throngs of people in cutoff shorts, halter tops, t-shirts and flip flops that she passes with every step reminds her of that as she makes her way to the bar. She gets a few glances, apparently people don’t wear tailored skirts and blazers out to the bar in Florida, but doesn’t think anyone actually recognizes her when she settles on a slick, rickety wooden stool in the back corner of the bar.

Ashlyn sees her though and can’t help the smirk that comes across her face. “Who is _that_ girl?” she elbows Jenna who has joined her behind the bar and asks.

Jenna lifts her eyes from the glass she’s drying and then quickly drops them back down. “Never seen her in here before and by the looks of it she’s not from around here,” she surmises as she takes in Ali’s more formal business attire.

“Hmmm,” Ashlyn hums as she takes the glass from Jenna’s hand and stacks it on the shelf with the others.

The Colombian bar owner sets the glass she’s drying down on the counter and levels her eyes. “Really, Ash?” She knows exactly where her friend’s mind is at.

Ashlyn just shrugs and picks up the glass to finish drying it herself. “What?” she asks, lifting the glass up into the light to inspect it for cleanliness.

“Are you really going to keep hitting on and taking home every cute girl you meet in this place?” she asks with a certain seriousness. The playful banter is gone and she’s slightly worried about her recent behavior. “What would Kate think?”

Ashlyn drops the next glass on the bar with a thud and meets Jenna's emerald green eyes with her own. “Kate doesn’t get to care about what I do.” _Anymore_. She tries to harden her face, but the hurt is still there.

With a wave of her hand, Jenna dismisses her friend. “Whatever you say, Ash. Do your job and go get the girl and drink.” She nods to where Ali is scrolling through her phone with what could be described as a slightly angry expression.

Ash notes how her soft, pink lips are slightly pursed and her jaw is tightened, making her rosy cheeks a bit more pronounced. “You got it, boss,” she says with a sly smile and slings her towel over her shoulder before making her way over.

Ali is reading the last of the infuriating email when a voice pulls her from her thoughts. She looks up and sees who she assumes is the bartender leaning over the bar, looking at her with a large smile. Ali waits for her to say something as she studies her cute dimple, but apparently she already had and Ali missed it because they both just stand there staring at each other expectantly.

Finally, Ashlyn breaks the silence again and reaches her hand out. “Hi. I’m Ashlyn and I’ll be yours for the rest of the night,” she says with a wink that is quickly followed up by a smirk.

The brunette just lets out a small laugh and when Ashlyn’s heart skips a beat at the sound, she can’t help but wonder what would happen if she was able to hear that laugh unrestrained.

“Is that the pickup line you use on all the girls around here?” Ali asks with mild amusement as she quickly shakes her hand. She eyes the blonde skeptically, taking in the way her toned, muscular body fills out the black v-neck she’s wearing. There's no denying this blonde is her type.

Ashlyn smiles inwardly at the way Ali is eyeing her. “I don’t need pickup lines,” she says cockily and laughs when Ali rolls her eyes at the comment.

“I'm sure," she surmises, but she knows there is truth behind it. Women that carry themselves with as much confidence as she did was a turn on enough. "I’ll have two shots of tequila and a Corona, please."

“Expecting someone else?” Ash asks and lifts her eyes to look for someone else walking towards them. She definitely doesn’t want to hit on someone else’s girlfriend. It’s bad for business and she doesn’t let her escapades effect the bar's income.

“Ones for you,” Ali replies quickly, surprising even herself. She knows there’s no way that she’s going home with the blonde, but she does have to admit she could use a good laugh and some strong drinks, something she thinks the hot bartender can most definitely provide.

Ash wraps the bartop with her knuckles while trying to contain her growing smile. _Hook, line and sinker._ “You got it. I’ll be right back with those.” She coolly walks away to grab the drinks and bumps Jenna’s hip with her own. “Can I have _two_ shot glasses please?” she asks with a smirk.

Jenna just laughs and shakes her head. “She fell for that Harris charm, huh?”

With a nod of her head Ash grabs the shot glasses and tequila bottle in one hand and a Corona from the fridge with her other. “Don’t they always?” she asks rhetorically and then quickly dodges the wet towel Jenna tosses at her.

Ali watches the interaction between the women behind the bar with an amused grin. She can only assume what they’re talking about, but she’s pretty confident she’s the subject matter at the moment. 

When Ash approaches a minute later, Ali watches as she opens the Corona, admiring how her muscles slightly flex when she pops the top off. “Thanks,” she says, suddenly a bit shy as the bartender slides the bottle over to her.

“Of course,” comes the quick reply as Ash then sets down the shot glasses and fills them to the brim, quickly apologizing when a bit spills over onto the bar in front of Ali. "Sorry," she quietly mumbles as she grabs a napkin and wipes up her spill, which Ali finds intriguing. She’s been watching the blonde behind the bar since she’s come in and has seen several messes go uncleaned by her. 

“Here’s to you…” Ash starts as she lifts her shot glass up but pauses and waits for the woman to fill her in.

“Ali,” she supplies and then quickly kicks back the shot easily with no chaser or lime.

“Impressive.” Ash looks at the woman in awe. She definitely doesn’t seem like the type that could shoot straight tequila like that.

“Lots of practice,” Ali shrugs and then slides her glass to Ash for a refill.

Easily falling into bartender mode, Ash tops the glass off again and casts a sideways glance at Ali who chugs half her Corona in a few large gulps. “Rough day?”

Ali sets the beer down, instantly feeling the alcohol rushing into her stomach. “Rough year,” she corrects and then clinks the shot glass against Ashlyn’s and throws it back down her already burning throat.

Ash follows suit. “Drinking to remember the good times or to forget the bad ones?”

Ali runs her fingers up and down the cold beer bottle as she ponders that statement. “I guess you could say both,” she supplies ruefully, her smile dropping a bit. She usually isn’t this open with strangers, especially random bartenders, but she’s almost positive no one in this bar realizes who she is. They don’t seem the type to care who she is anyways.

A silence rises up between them, almost like a barrier, at Ali’s honest confession. Ash isn’t sure how to handle the seriousness that just appeared and wants their friendly banter back. “I uhh…I’ve got to go check on some other customers,” she starts, but they both know it’s a lie since Jenna just did a check up on everyone around the bar a minute ago.

Ali nods in understanding before taking another long pull on her beer. “Of course,” she replies, instantly retreating into her shell again.

Seeing Ali visibly close up to her as her arms cross against her chest makes Ash want to kick herself. She thinks she just ruined her chance at some fun with the brunette tonight, but decides to let it cool off and check back in a few minutes. “Here’s one for the road. Holler if you need me,” she offers with a smile and Ali simply nods again as she looks at the full shot glass the bartender leaves her.

After Ashlyn walks away, her eyes settle on the shot for a moment and she ponders her choices as she feels the heat of the alcohol already in her stomach. She realizes she still hasn’t eaten anything, but after the email she just received her appetite had completely dissipated. Spinning the shot in her hand, she contemplates whether she should just go home, but the wrenching feeling in her gut drives her to pick up the glass. _Fuck it._ She tosses the shot back and then looks up. She catches Ashlyn staring at her from across the bar and lifts her glass in the air to signal for another before Ash has time to try to divert her gaze.

If she’s embarrassed that she was caught staring, it doesn’t show as she saunters back over to the corner where Ali was posted up. _Jesus, even the way she walks is fucking hot._

“You’re hitting ‘em hard tonight, champ,” Ash grins and raises her eyebrow waiting for an answer. Ali just shrugs in response and wipes away the drops of tequila that spilled in front of her with her hand, something that seems out of character in Ashlyn’s eyes. Beautiful women in nicely tailored suits don’t wipe up messes at a dive bar with their hands. When Ali doesn’t answer, she grabs the bottle and refills their glasses, though not quite as full as before. She knows Ali will regret it in the morning if she keeps hitting the shots hard. “What brings you to Satellite Beach, anyways?”

Ali shrugs and dips her eyes. “Work.”

“Ah,” Ash throws her head back, making her breasts even more pronounced in the tight shirt. She catches Ali swallow hard and quickly divert her eyes, but doesn’t call her out on it. _Maybe she’s coming around._ “What kind of work?” she prods a bit further and leans on her elbows which she has planted on the bar in front of Ali. She can catch a whiff of some floral perfume and her heart skips a bit.

“Boring work. Boring work that I don’t really want to talk about,” she says with a tone that let’s Ashlyn know not to dig anymore.

“I see. Well here’s to forgetting about boring work!” she says with a smile to lighten the mood and clinks their glasses together.

An hour or so later after making small talk and Ash shamelessly flirting with a bit of it being returned, Ash pulls out her vibrating phone. She frowns at the name that pops up and tries to turn it off before pocketing it, but before she gets a chance Ali grabs the phone from her hand.

“It’s one in the morning?” she asks with wide eyes when she catches the time, completely ignoring the photo that had popped up on the screen much to Ashlyn's relief. 

Ash just nods and tries to ignore the heat that is shooting through her body and settling between her legs when Ali grabs her hand. “E…Everything okay?” she asks, stuttering a bit, but quickly composing herself.

Ali pulls her own from her purse for confirmation and lets out a groan when it reads the same time. She knows she has an early morning the next day and judging by the number of shots she’s taken, she knows it’s going to be a rough one. “Yeah. I have to go,” she says a bit sadly. She really was having a good time, even if it wasn’t going to lead anywhere.

Ash nods. “Want me to call you a cab or give you a ride home?” she asks, knowing there’s no way the woman can drive herself, though she hopes she chooses the latter.

Ali shakes her head and easily notes the way Ashlyn deflates like a popped balloon. “I just live a bit down A1A . I’ll walk home and grab my car after my morning run.”

Ash perks up a bit when she realizes why Ali rejected her offer. “Can I walk you then? It’s late and this can be a bad part of town.”

Ali has to laugh at this. Satellite Beach and the surrounding communities have possibly the lowest crime rate in the country. Still, she’s feeling the effects of the alcohol so she plays along. “Well if this is such a bad area I would be foolish to turn down your offer, wouldn’t I?”

“I guess so,” Ash says, a sudden shyness presenting itself that Ali can’t help but smile at. She turns and shouts across the bar. “Jenna, I’m heading out, okay?”

The eye roll and nonverbal communication between Ash and who Ali assumes is not just her boss, but also a close friend, is unmistakable. The wink and hip thrust motion Jenna does at the end, confirms her suspicions. 

Ash’s face drops when she turns and sees Ali looking at her incredulously with a smirk.

“Cute,” she says with a nod towards Jenna and then begins to pull out her wallet. “How much do I owe?”

Ash is still recovering from being caught interacting with Jenna when she asks. She holds her hands up. “It’s on me,” she says sheepishly, her cheeks turning a slightly darker shade of red. She can feel herself actually starting to sweat which is unusual for the ever confident blonde.

It’s not the first time Ali’s gotten free drinks at a bar and although usually she pushes it, she knows the blonde isn’t going to take her money. She just hopes her generosity isn’t because she’s hoping on getting into her pants later. Pushing her skepticism aside she smiles and slides off the barstool. “Thank you. Best thing to happen to me all day.”

Ashlyn grins widely at her comment and slips out from behind the bar. _Just wait._


	3. How Was Your Night?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Little bit of Kyle action in this one!

“I missed you so much,” Ali says sincerely as she wraps her arms tightly around her brother. She can feel him tense a bit at the words, but when she squeezes him even tighter he finally relaxes.

“I missed you too, Alex,” he states honestly and pulls back from the hug to meet her eyes. “Thanks for coming to visit,” he says shyly.

It catches Ali off-guard, but then she remembers the last time she saw him and the ensuing family fight that took place. “I will never turn my back on you, Kyle.” Her eyes hold a genuine sentiment and Kyle nods.

“You have no idea what that means to me.” The tears are threatening to spill out, but he uses his sleeve to wipe the corner of his eyes before they do. “So where to?” he asks as he slides into the passenger seat of Ali’s car. Unlike the charcoal gray Audi she keeps in D.C., this one is a white BMW convertible and Kyle loves that the tops is down. It makes him feel alive and free.

Ali slides into the driver’s seat and pulls her gold-framed aviators down over her eyes. “Up to you big brother. This is your day.”

He taps his chin which is scruffy from a few days without shaving and then tosses his hands in the air. “Surfing?” It’s phrased as a question, but they both know it’s what they’re going to do.

“Surfing it is,” Ali agrees. “I sold my boards when we moved to D.C. though so I guess we’ll have to rent.”

Kyle nods and then begins searching for a place to rent on Ali’s phone. “There’s a surf shop two miles past your place. Want to try that?”

“Sure,” she replies and zips out of the driveway and onto the A1A.

“So how was your night? Did you just stay in?” he asks, though he’s already sure he knows the answer. His sister is quite a homebody these days.

Surprisingly she shakes her head, though he’s barely able to tell as her long brown hair is whipping around her head as they drive. “I went to that bar down the street from my place.”

Kyle’s eyes go wide. “JJ’s?” he asks, disbelievingly.

“Yeah that’s it.” She comes to a stop at the red light. “You know the place?”

“Heard of it,” Kyle shrugs. He doesn’t want to go into too many details of his encounters there. With a sideways glance at his sister, he can tell there’s more to the story. “So…how was it?” he asks, treading carefully while trying to hide a smirk.

“Fun,” she supplies. When Kyle nods knowingly at her, she realizes she can’t actually hide anything from him. “This hot bartender may or may not have been flirting with me and giving me free drinks all night,” she adds quietly, though Kyle can still catch it over the noise of the accelerating engine.

“Is he hot?”

“ _She_ was pretty sexy,” she replies nonchalantly, ignoring the way his eyes go wide.

“Alexandra Krieger you are a bad girl!” He waves his finger in her face.

She takes her hand off the wheel and slaps his hand down. “Oh stop it! You know I’m, how do you say it?” She pauses and looks at him over the brim of her shades.

“Free spirited,” Kyle supplies.

It’s enough for Ali who nods. “Sure.”

“Did this hot bartender take you back to her place after?” he asks casually.

Ali shrugs and slows to let some beach-goers cross in front of her car. Her mind drifts back to the night before when they had gotten back to her house.

 

_“This is a nice place,” Ash muses as she looks at the perfectly manicured lawn and landscaping that accents the ocean blue colored stucco house. Her eyes then rise up to the shutters which are brilliantly white as she stalls and waits to be invited in for a tour of the inside, more specifically her bedroom._

_“Thanks,” Ali replies. “I appreciate you walking me home. And for the drinks too,” she says sweetly with a shy smile._

_Ashlyn feeds off her shyness and takes a step forward to close some of the distance between them. When Ali doesn’t take a step back her confidence only grows. She takes Ali’s hands and pulls her closer, enjoying the way Ali’s skin erupts in goosebumps at the slight contact. “You don’t have to thank me,” she says before leaning in. “I told you I’d be yours for the rest of the night,” she whispers in her ear. “I meant it.” She lets her lips graze Ali’s ear as she pulls back and smirks when she hears the brunette let out a worked up sigh._

_Ali lifts her eyes to meet Ashlyn’s and can see that they’re dark with desire, a look that she’s positive her own eyes mirror. She bites her lip to keep the words from spilling out of her mouth and the small act sets Ashlyn off. She’s done dancing around what they both want so she pushes her body forward, lightly trapping Ali against her front door. She searches her dark eyes for hesitation, and when none comes she starts to lean in until she feels a tentative hand on her chest pushing her back when their lips brush against each other._

_After feeling the warmth of her lips and the shocks shooting through her body at the almost kiss, it takes Ashlyn everything to pull back. When she does lean back, albeit a bit breathless, she sees the hesitation she was looking for moments ago housed in the big, brown eyes that had her captivated all night._

_“I told you you’re not getting in my pants tonight,” she says, though there isn’t much force behind it._

_Ash quickly runs through her usual lines, ‘I don’t want to get in your pants, I want to get you out of them’ or ‘You’re not even wearing pants’, but quickly decides those won’t work on the brunette. “Sorry,” she breathes out and tries to slow her racing heart while she hopes Ali doesn’t hear the nervousness in her voice._

_Ali does hear it and knows the blonde must not be used to getting turned down because she doesn’t actually know what to do now. She’s standing on the front steps nervously twiddling her thumbs with her eyes trained on the ground. She decides to rescue her and places a hand on her bicep, trying to ignore how turned on she is by the feeling of her strong, taut arm under her grip. “Thanks again for walking me back. Maybe I’ll see you around sometime?”_

_Ash lifts her gaze, thankful for the lifeline Ali threw her. “Yeah. Of course. Had to make sure you got home safely, right?”_

_With a light-hearted giggle Ali replies, “Yeah. Rough neighborhood.”_

_A slight blush creeps up Ash's neck when she looks around at the multi-million dollar mansions and pristine beach houses with spotlessly manicured lawns that dot the street. “Exactly. Have a good night, Ali,” she says with a warm smile before turning and making her way back down the long driveway._

 

“She walked me home, but nothing happened,” Ali offers, deciding to spare the dirty details for now.

Kyle thinks on her words for a moment. “You were that far gone that you couldn’t drive?” He is a bit surprised by her words.

She shoots him a glare. “Don’t go there, Kyle.”

He throws his hands up in surrender as they pull into a gravel parking lot that overlooks the beach. “Okay, okay!”

Dropping the subject for now, Ali slips out of the car and Kyle follows her to the front door of the little shop, aptly named The Surf Shop. She’s about to pull open the tattered door when her phone starts ringing. “I have to take this, Kyle. I’ll meet you in there,” she says before scurrying back to the car.

Kyle nods, used to the frequent and important work calls and opens the door to the shop himself. He takes a few steps in before his brow furrows. “Hello?” he calls out, his voice echoing through the mostly empty store. A few steps further in, he calls out again, letting his eyes wander the store which has a few boards and wetsuits hanging on the walls, but is lacking much of anything else.

After a moment, he hears someone curse and then come thundering down the stairs which creak with every step. 

The voice finally gets a face to go with it after a moment. “Shit, I forgot to lock the door. Sorry man, we’re closed.”

Kyle looks at the woman who looks like she had just woke up, her clothes haphazardly thrown on and her hair an untamed mess. “Oh. Sorry,” he quickly apologizes. “We were just looking for board rentals.”

“We?” she asks and looks around behind him, wondering if someone else was perusing the empty racks. Just then she hears the bell ring as the front door swings open. “Kyle?” calls a voice.

“Back here!” he replies, letting his sister know he was at the back counter. “They’re closed though,” he adds when she walks around the corner.

“Oh. Okay then let’s head somewhere else, she turns without looking around anymore to leave.

“No!” comes a voice from behind her and she quickly whips around.

She smiles when sees a familiar blonde. “Ash?” she asks, smirking at how eager Ashlyn sounded to keep her from leaving when she realizes who was speaking. She hopes the heat she feels come over her at the sight of the blonde isn't noticeably visible.

Ash quickly composes herself. “Hey!” she says, brushing it off like she didn’t originally know who Ali was when she walked in.

“Sorry, we didn’t know the place was closed,” Ali offers. “My brother and I just needed some boards for a little, but we’ll come back later.” It's earlier than she realized and now she feels bad for storming into the store before it's even open.

Ash puts her hand up. “No we’re uh…we’ve been closed for a while. Just here cleaning the place up. Going to try to reopen soon if we can get the funds.”

Ali nods, surprised to see just how many jobs the blonde works. “Well can you suggest somewhere else?”

The sight of Ali in the shop has momentarily flustered her, but she’s finally able to comprehend the situation, and hopes to salvage it. “You know what? It's not a big deal if you guys want to just borrow a couple of boards.” She wants to kick herself for sounding so desperate, but she lets out a chuckle to cover it.

Ali eyes her skeptically, but her face softens. “Are you sure? I don’t want to get you in trouble with your boss,” she asks, concern evident. 

Ash just shrugs. "The owner is pretty chill. I doubt it'll be a problem."

Kyle smiles widely as he watches the two women dance around each other. He doesn't know their history, but he is definitely amused. Finally he chimes in, “You should join us!”

Ali’s eyes go wide at her brother’s offer. “Kyle, I’m sure she has work to do,” she mumbles sternly under her breath, her words and tone a clear warning for him to back off. Her liquid confidence from last night is gone and she doesn't know how to soberly process the things her body is feeling at the moment. 

Catching onto the interaction Ash nods. She does actually have something else to be doing, even though she would love to see the brunette's sexy body in a tight wetsuit. She can already tell she's got an athletic build from the way her well defined legs fill out the black tights she's wearing. “Yeah I’ve got to do some stuff in here,” she offers confidently after pulling her eyes up from Ali's legs. She can’t believe her luck that the beautiful brunette from last night has just wandered back into her life, not even twelve hours later.

Her confident smile falls immediately though when a high-pitched voice calls her name from the top of the stairs. She closes her eyes and prays this doesn’t play out the way she thinks it will, but judging by the way Ali’s smile drops as well after a moment, she knows that the blonde who had stopped by late last night, had in fact made her way down the stairs. 

Ash slowly turns and lets out an a displeased sigh when she sees her standing at the bottom of the stairs wearing only her button-up from the night before. “Hey, can you give me a sec, Kate? I’ll be right up.”

The girl looks between the three people in the shop and nods, though her eyes narrow a bit at Ali. From the top of the stairs she had seen the way Ash was smiling at her and wasn't too pleased. “Okay. I’ll be waiting, stud,” she winks to stake claim and then retreats up the stairs, her toned ass cheeks peeking out from under the hem of the dark gray shirt.

Ash turns back to Ali and Kyle, now thoroughly embarrassed as evidenced by her bright red cheeks and expression full of regret, the latter of which surprises Ali. She points to a wall of boards opposite them. “Those are the rentals and there's a rack of suits in the next room you can pick from. Just leave them here when you two are done. It’s on me,” she utters without making eye contact with either Ali or Kyle and then quickly climbs the stairs and disappears.

Kyle shoots Ali a wide-eyed look as soon as they are out of earshot, “What the fuck was that?”


	4. We'll See

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the comments so far! Hope you are all enjoying :)

Kyle looks back at Ali with wide eyes waiting impatiently for an answer. “Hello? Earth to Alex?”

Ali looks up from the rack of boards she was carefully examining before shooting her brother a glare. “Oh don’t act like you don’t know exactly what just happened!” she scoffs and then pulls a slightly scratched teal and yellow Billabong board off the wall. “You’re like the world’s best situation reader so don’t even.”

He grins, knowing she’s pinpointed his best talent. “Fine let me guess…that was the hot bartender from last night, you were nervous to see her without some alcohol to help you shamelessly flirt and then possibly a girlfriend or just a different booty call came down and interrupted the already extremely awkward moment you two were having?”

She quickly shushes him and then grabs a wetsuit off the rack and slips into the changing room. It’s really just a boarded off area with a plain navy blue sheet hanging from a curtain rod, but it’ll do.

“Nailed it,” Kyle mumbles under his breath when he sees Ali come out with narrowed eyes glaring at him.

“Shut it, Kyle,” she says in a clipped tone. She’s aggravated, but doesn’t know if it’s because of Kyle’s teasing or the fact that she was obviously so replaceable with Ashlyn. For some reason the sight of the other girl wrapped up in Ashlyn's shirt from the night before is really bothering her, but she definitely isn't in the mood to discuss it.

Kyle knows well enough to leave it alone for the time being. His sister can get quite defensive when she feels cornered and it’s best to let it be. “Alrighty then. Let’s hit the waves!”

Ali breathes a sigh of relief, thankful for the change in topic. “It’s been a while so don’t make fun of me!” she says as they make their way down the wooden path that led from the shop to the beach. 

She looks out and sees the waves are a bit small, but that’s not a bad thing since she hasn’t surfed in quite some time. She glances over to her right and catches her brother simply staring out at the ocean, seemingly mesmerized by it. She knows he, like herself, appreciates the simple beauties of life that often get lost in the big scheme of things. After everything he’s been through, seeing him smile in awe at the vast stretch of blue water before them makes her lips curl up as well. She knows how much moments of peace like this mean to him.

“Last one to paddle out buys lunch!” Kyle shouts to break them from their trance and then takes off at a dead sprint towards the water.

The sibling rivalry immediately kicks in as Ali runs after him. There’s no shame when she sticks out her leg and trips him before hurling herself onto her board once she’s thigh deep in the water. It’s cold, but she doesn’t have time to adjust before her brother comes barreling after her, covered in sand with a set jaw.

“Cheater!” he screams as he quickly paddles after her.

It’s no use though, Ali has too much of a head start and after ducking under a few waves, she’s well outside the break and wearing a beaming smile as he paddles towards her. “Surf and turf for lunch?” she says with an amused grin.

Kyle just splashes a wall of water in her direction and shakes his head. “I’m taking you to Burger King after that stunt,” he jokes.

They sit out there for a while, just bobbing in the ocean while they catch up about family, about work and about the rough days they’ve both been dealing with. After getting a place up north since she’s there so often for work, Ali admits she misses times like this.

She remembers when her and Kyle were little how they would spend hours just sitting out, aimlessly drifting in the ocean. It was the only time they felt free from the constraints of life and the watchful eye she had so often found herself under.

“I miss this,” Kyle says softly. They both know it has a double meaning, but let it go for now.

“I miss you!” Ali says and splashes him to lighten the mood. “Now let’s catch some waves before we grab some lunch.”

 

…..

 

Ashlyn glances out the dusty upstairs window of the shop when she hears the door slam with force downstairs. She feels bad for rushing Kate out, but the moment she caught the expression on Ali’s face when she wandered down the stairs, she was suddenly in no mood to talk. _She had to be wearing **just** my shirt too,_ Ash thinks and slaps her forehead. She wants to explain to Ali what had really happened, but wouldn't even know where to begin without making everything seem messier than they already were. Besides, did she really owe her an apology? 

The sound of an echoing laugh through the open window snaps her from her thoughts and she looks up to see Ali and her brother splashing around in the waves as they sit atop their boards. She feels kind of creepy watching from afar, but they _are_ using the shop’s boards, so she surmises it’s permissible.

A new set of waves roll in and she watches as Ali starts paddling hard, her toned arms slipping into the water in perfect rhythm to propel her forward. She didn’t believe the tense and partially uptight brunette could actually surf, but her jaw drops when she saw her pop up on her board and effortlessly cut through the wave, her hand skimming through the wall of water. She faltered a bit at the end, but was able to ride the wave until the end and Ashlyn was definitely impressed.

 

……

 

“That was a sick wave!” she hears Kyle call from a hundred yards away as he waits for his own wave to ride in. She shoots him a thumbs up and drags the board out of the water before sticking firmly it into the sand. A loud horn blares on the road behind her and she quickly checks over her shoulder. She can’t make out what caused the noise, but as she’s turning around she sees a figure standing in the upper window of the little shop looking out at her.

“Alex, look!” she hears Kyle yell, which diverts her attention. She turns around and sees a pod of dolphins a few hundred yards away breaking through the surf. She smiles and then waves him in. Her stomach is growling and she needs food in it sooner rather than later. Her brother nods and rides his last wave in, giving her a high five when he jogs out of the water and up to where she’s standing.

“That was awesome. Thanks for taking me!” he says excitedly.

Ali gives him a small smile in return. “Of course. Let’s get some food so we can get you back home.”

The word makes Kyle cringe, nothing feels like home anymore. “Sure.” He realizes his mood change and quickly tries to counter it. “I saw your sexy bartender staring at you from the window,” he says and pokes her teasingly in the ribs.

“Don’t even, Kyle.” She gives him an eye roll and then yanks the board from the sand as they start to make their way back up to the shop.

They quickly rinse themselves and the boards off at the outdoor shower and then change back into their clothes in the changing room.  
Ali is first out and grabs her board from the wall to bring towards the front of the store.

“Oh, hey!” she hears from behind the counter.

“Hi,” she smiles back politely. While out on the water she had some time to cool off and realizes she really has no right to be upset at the blonde. “Thanks again for letting us borrow the boards. Are you sure I can’t give you something?” she offers, though it’s a lame one and they both know it.

_You can give me **plenty**._ "No really it’s okay. Like I said, the owner is pretty chill and we’re not even open anyways so what the hell!” She laughs at herself rambling on and Ali joins in with a chuckle of her own until they hear a throat clear behind them.

Kyle walks up and leans his board next to Ali’s. He reaches out his hand for Ashlyn to shake. “I’m Kyle, by the way. My sister rudely forgot to introduce me.”

Ali shoots him a glare, but knows Kyle is going rogue at the moment to get her back for tripping him earlier. She can only hold her breath and see how he plays it, but judging by the devilish grin he has on his face, it’s not going to end well for her.

“Ashlyn,” the blonde offers and gives him a firm handshake.

Kyle let’s go of her hand and smiles. “Thanks so much for the boards. I know you don’t want to take any money, but Ali and I were just going to go up the street and grab a bite to eat. Care to join us?”

Ali’s eyes go wide, but she quickly looks away so Ashlyn won’t catch it because she doesn’t want to appear rude. She settles her face and eventually meets Ashlyn’s eyes with a small nod.

“Are you sure?” the blonde asks, though the smile on her face is undeniable. She hopes she can get some redemption at lunch. Seeing the brunette surf had only made her want her even more and she definitely doesn't like being rejected. 

“It’s the least we can do,” Kyle offers sincerely. “Seriously.”

Ashlyn looks back to Ali one more time for confirmation which she finds kind of cute. Ali just throws her hands up in defeat. “Sure why not! Kyle’s buying!”

Ashlyn joins the siblings in a laugh before reaching up and grabbing a checkered snap back off the coat hanger behind her. She pulls it on backwards to tame her messy hair and then slips a pair of black Rayban Wayfarer’s on as well. “Alright then. Let’s get out of here!”

 

….

 

“She seems sweet,” Kyle says as Ashlyn excuses herself to refill their drinks before cramming a handful of fries into his mouth.

Ali shrugs and finishes chewing the bite of her hamburger in her mouth. “I never said she wasn’t sweet. Just not my type.”

“Tall, blonde and hot with a killer smile isn’t your type?” Kyle asks skeptically.

After setting her hamburger down she glares at her brother. “Kyle, you know how it is. I can’t be in a relationship right now. Things are…too messy.”

“Who said anything about a relationship?” he says pointedly, returning her glare. “She doesn’t seem like the relationship type either,” he adds with an amused chuckle as he remembers Ashlyn turning a light shade of red when the cute little blonde came down in just a button up that morning.

Ali thinks on it for a moment, but sees Ashlyn coming back so she drops it. Kyle won’t let it go just yet though, “You both want the same thing. Could be fun,” he says cheekily and then turns back to his fries.

“What could be fun?” Ash asks as she catches the last sentence out of Kyle’s mouth and plops down in her chair after setting Ali’s refilled drink down in front of her.

Ali immediately crams her burger into her mouth so she doesn’t have to answer and shoots a pleading glance to Kyle.

“Oh just all of us going surfing together sometime,” he replies quickly and winks at Ali.

The statement catches Ash off guard, but she can’t deny that she would like to see Ali up close in that wetsuit. “Yeah that’d would be! Oh there’s a party at JJ’s tonight. It’s kind of an annual thing for Jenna's birthday and you guys should totally come.” 

The siblings share a look between them that Ashlyn can’t quite decipher.

“I uh…I can’t,” Kyle says with a hint of regret, but Ash just figures he has prior plans and doesn’t push it.

“What about you, Ali?” she asks, turning her attention to the brunette.

She can’t deny that her time with the blonde has been fun. They interact seamlessly around each other and even Kyle has noticed the sexual tension between them that ‘could be cut with a knife’ as he so bluntly whispered to her fifteen minutes ago. Still, she can’t help but be guarded considering all of the circumstances. “We’ll see,” she finally replies, settling on a noncommittal answer.

Ashlyn senses the hesitation and nods. “Well if you decide to come I think you’d have a good time. I know this bartender that works there and she makes really good drinks,” she says with a smirk.

Ali decides to cut her ego down a bit just for fun. “Is that the same one that gives out free drinks to all the pretty girls?”

Ashlyn won’t be chopped down, though and shakes her head ‘no’. “Only beautiful women,” she replies with a look so smoldering that Ali feels it between her legs.

Kyle lets out a cough reminding both of them that he is in fact, still sitting there next to them. They quickly break their eye contact and dip their heads. Ali isn’t used to someone being so forward with her and she isn’t sure how to handle it so she lets the comment slide. 

Ash is the first to break the silence that settled in. She glances down at her watch and notes the time. “Well, I’ve got to get going. I have to finish up some stuff at the shop before heading over to JJ’s to help get everything ready for tonight. Thanks for lunch, Kyle.”

“Of course! It was nice meeting you. Thanks again for the free rentals,” Kyle says with a bright smile.

Ash just shrugs and stands up from the table as the others follow suit. “Of course. If you ever want to borrow one again, just let me know. I’m usually there in the mornings.”

Kyle nods and then shoots a look at Ali. “I’m going to go pay. I’ll meet you at the car, okay?”

Ali nods and then turns her attention back to Ashlyn as they make their way out to the parking lot. She notices how close Ashlyn is walking to her and how she keeps bumping their shoulders together. She also notices how it doesn’t bother her one bit. When they reach Ashlyn’s Jeep, the blonde leans backwards against the driver’s side door and crosses her arms. Ali can’t help but notice the way her exposed muscles flex under her tanned, tattooed skin.

“Thanks for letting me tag along,” she offers sincerely. The apprehension on Ali’s face back at the shop when Kyle invited her hadn’t gone unnoticed by Ash.

“It’s really the least I could do,” Ali replies with a shrug though her gaze is set on Ashlyn’s thin lips.

Ash can still sense some underlying discontent, but doesn’t miss where Ali’s eyes are directed at the moment. “Ali, I just wanted to apologize for what you saw this morning.” She doesn’t know why she says it. The words are true, she does feel bad, but she knows she doesn’t really owe her an explanation. She was just a hot girl she tried to pick up at the bar. A hot girl that she’s still trying to pick up if she's being honest with herself. 

"It's fine," Ali replies, shrugging it off as if it didn't bother her. Seeing the other woman-who was gorgeous, like model status gorgeous, she might add-come down in just Ash's shirt from the night before had upset her a bit, but she wouldn't let it show. She was used to containing her true feelings by now after the last few years.

"No, it's not what you thi-" Ash tries to add but is cut off again as Ali puts her hands up and shakes her head. 

“You have nothing to apologize for and nothing to explain. You don't owe me anything," she says simply, with a tone of finality. 

“Okay,” Ash says weakly with a hint of defeat. She wants to explain, but Ali clearly isn't in the mood to listen. Then she hears the door of the restaurant open and knows Kyle is coming out. “Well I really would like to see you later if you get a chance to swing by the bar.”

Ali takes in her words and hopeful expression and then pulls her keys out of her purse. She still hasn’t fully analyzed the situation and knows if she can barely contain herself around the cocky blonde when sober, there’s a much lower chance she’ll be able to with alcohol in her system. _But is that a bad thing?_

“We’ll see.” She repeats her response from earlier with a wink before turning and slipping into her own car.


	5. Good Girl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, it's been a crazy couple days! My wife is Colombian so last night was definitely interesting lol. Glad USA pulled it out!!

Glancing up at the clock, Ashlyn let out a frustrated sigh. It was almost 10pm and there was no sign of Ali anywhere. She had told her the party started at 7 and figured she would have already been there if she was actually going to come.

“You alright?” she hears Jenna say over her shoulder as she tosses her an empty bottle of Jager to throw in the recycling bin underneath the bar. She easily catches it and drops it into the plastic bin before digging around the shelves along the back wall and pulling out a full bottle to hand back to her. “Just perfect,” she replies with a wide smile when she saw a familiar face wander into the bar.

Jenna follows her gaze and then throws her hands up in the air when she sees who it is. “I can’t keep up with you anymore, Harris!”

Ash dodges the towel that’s thrown in her direction, something she’s becoming quite good at and walks to the corner of the bar with a smile. 

…...

“How are things going down there?” comes the voice from the other end of the line. At first she’s confused why she’s getting a call so late, but quickly remembers there’s a convention in California and it’s only 6pm there.

“They’re good. I had some meetings set up that went well." She tries to curb her clipped tone. It’s late and she really just wants to get back to watching the local news shows before she gets ready for bed. "Hopefully we can work out some sort of deal with the locals before it all hits the press."

"That's good to hear. I’m sure your father will be glad to hear you’re getting things done down there in Florida. At least one of his children has a good head on their shoulders,” the man replies with an ill-conceived chuckle.

Ali’s body immediately tenses at his poor attempt at a joke. Above all, she is protective of her family, especially Kyle. He’s had his struggles in the past, but has been making amends and these words were unwarranted and fell on deaf ears. “Right. Well if that’s all Mr. Grant, I’m going to be turning in for the night.”

“Very well Ms. Krieger. Just make sure you stay out of trouble while you’re down there. Be a good girl and things will all pan out for you.”

She doesn’t even hesitate to hang up the phone without another word. “Fucking asshole,” she mumbles under her breath as his grating words run through her mind. ‘Be a good girl’. _I’ll show you a fucking good girl_.

……

“I see you came back into town, Tracy,” Ash says with a smile as she greets the woman approaching the bar. She reaches over and hugs her across the shellacked wooden bar top.

The redhead smiles, displaying her pearly white teeth as she leans in. “I heard _the_ Ashlyn Harris was tending bar. How could I pass that up?”

“Good question,” Ash replies with a wink as she eyes her old high school girlfriend whom she hasn’t seen in almost ten years. She notes that though her frame has filled out a bit more, she's still the petite, cute girl she dated and had some fun with for a few months. It may have been ten years since she's seen her, but Ash can't help but note that she doesn't look like she's aged much at all.

“Still a whiskey drinker?” she asks and grabs the bottle from off the shelf, pouring them two shots without waiting for an answer.

“Some things never change,” Tracy says with an amused grin and clinks their glasses together. “So why aren’t you at the Surf Shop anymore?” she asks, knowing how Ashlyn had worked there even through high school and loved it. 

“Money stuff. You know with the new Ron Jon’s going up in Cocoa Beach it just didn’t get enough customers and on top of that the taxes went up like crazy in the area. Something about capitalizing on the tourism or some bullshit like that. Jenna’s letting me work here for now, but hopefully things will pick back up soon.”

Tracy nods knowingly. She had left Satellite Beach after high school for college, but knows how things in Brevard County panned out after the area commercialized a bit more in recent years. “Well I’m sorry to hear that. Big companies always come in and push out the little guys. I know how much you loved that place.”

Ash shrugs as she pours them another drink. “It’s okay. I still get a few hours at the shop in here and there. Enough about me though,” she says and slides the shot glass across the bar top. “How’s big bad New York City treating you?”

Tracy throws her head back and laughs softly. “The big bad city is alright. Girls there aren’t quite as hot as they are around here though,” she adds knowingly, her voice dropping a level as she bites her lip.

“Oh really now?” Ash returns the shameless flirt as she takes in the spattering of freckles that dot her pale face. Tracy was definitely a cute girl, and that certainly hadn’t changed with time.

The red head throws her drink back while keeping her eyes trained on Ashlyn. “Satellite Beach _definitely_ has the hottest chicks. There’s this one bartender I’ve heard about that is pretty sexy too. I hear she can do amazing things with her hands…and tongue,” she whispers, leaning forward into Ashlyn’s space as she runs her palm down Ashlyn’s flexed arm.

“Oh is that so?” Ash replies, her eyes locked in on the woman standing in front of her. Just then, she’s pulled from her conversation when Jenna shouts for her to help with an order. “Go visit with people and I'll catch up with you later. The drinks are on me tonight,” she says with a smile to the redhead as she pulls a beer from the fridge. 

Tracy nods and grabs the beer Ashlyn slides her before turning and walking out onto the patio to catch up with some familiar faces from around town.

Ash quickly helps Jenna mix a few drinks before she slips around the bar to go see where Tracy went off to, only to run smack into someone else. A very skeptical looking someone else.

“I thought you only gave out free drinks to beautiful women?” Ali challenges in a hard tone as she cast her eyes to the patio where Tracy is laughing giddily at something someone said with her drink in hand. 

The insult to her high school sweetheart doesn’t even phase Ashlyn. She loves this sassy version of Ali and smiles as she looks at the brunette in white shorts and a gray tank-top, her long hair pulled over her right shoulder. “Well when beautiful women don’t come around, what’s a girl to do,” Ash shrugs in scripted nonchalance. 

"Settle for little girls that are most likely here for college Spring Break on daddy's money apparently," Ali replies cheekily, surprising even herself with the remark.

Ashlyn grins widely as she realizes _why_ Ali is being so snarky. It only boosts her confidence more. "Oh, I'm sorry. Was I just supposed to wait around all night hoping you would show up?" she challenges and steps up towards Ali so there's only a few inches in between them.

"Obviously you don't have the patience to wait for a woman like me," Ali retorts with a raised eyebrow. She knows full well Ash will catch on to what she's insinuating after the last two nights.

"Well how do I know you're worth the wait?" Ash replies with a narrowed gaze, her eyes locked on Ali's. She can feel the heat building between them as the harmless flirtation has settled into something more serious.

Fueled by the words replaying in her mind from the phone call earlier, Ali steps towards Ashlyn and pins her roughly against the wall with her hands on either side of her. She presses her body into the blonde and without waiting, crashes their lips together and forces her tongue into her mouth. Ashlyn immediately falls into the heated kiss and her arms instinctively go to the brunette's firm ass to pull her in closer to her body as their tongues fight for dominance. 

Her mind is swimming as her senses spring alive. She is captivated by the smell of her floral shampoo that permeates her nostrils, the feel of Ali's soft lips on hers, taking control as she presses her back into the wall and the way Ali's fingers have worked their way into her hair, pulling slightly to arouse her even more. Her body responds before her brain can process it and by the time it catches up, it's too late.

With a hand to her chest Ali pushes back. She wipes the corner of her mouth and gives Ash a cocky smirk as she watches her try to steady her breathing with her eyes closed. "You tell me," she says and quickly clarifies when she sees Ash's confused expression. "Think I'll be worth the wait?"

It takes a moment for Ash to recover, but luckily for her, her libido is doing all the talking. She wordlessly grabs Ali's hand and drags her down the hall into the back office. After slamming the door shut behind her she stalks up to Ali and sees her looking back challengingly. The hesitation that was present the night before was no where to be seen as she pulls Ali towards her by the front of her shirt. "I think we've waited long enough, don't you?" she gets out, but doesn't wait for an answer as she leans in and cuts through the sexually charged air between them to take Ali's lips in her own.


	6. Definitely Worth the Wait

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Smut. Lots of smut. I doubt you guys will mind ;)

Ali doesn't answer the question, but her body certainly does. The moan that slips from her lips as the blonde's hands drop to her ass to squeeze it is enough of an answer for Ashlyn and she quickly backs them into the middle of the room, stopping when her knuckles smack into the edge of the wooden desk.

She slides one hand up from Ali's ass to her neck and weaves her fingers into the strands of brunette hair that she finds there. With a fistful of Ali's hair, Ash pulls back on it to expose her neck and simultaneously drops her lips on it. With licks and kisses she attacks her neck with a hungry desire and feels Ali's hands raking over her body, searching for purpose as she presses her hips towards her.

"I want you." The words come tumbling out of Ali's mouth followed by a soft sigh and Ash has absolutely no intention of ignoring her request.

Without another moment of hesitation she drops her hands to Ali's ass and lifts her up before roughly setting her down on the desk behind, ignoring the paperwork and files that were laying there. Ali's legs wrap around her waist and she can feel herself getting lost in the blonde's touch as Ash grips her thighs tightly, her fingers digging in so much that she thinks they may leave tiny bruises. She opens her legs wider for Ash to fall in between and slowly grinds her hips up, begging for more contact.

"You sure?" Ash gets out breathlessly as she pulls back from the kiss just for a moment. The smoldering look she gets from Ali in return is again enough of an answer and her hands begin to slide up Ali's legs until they're resting on her hips, touching the soft skin that peaks out over her shorts where her top has been pushed up.

With one hand she slips under Ali's shirt past her toned abs and palms her bra clad breast. She can feel her engorged nipple through her bra and quickly rectifies the need for skin on skin contact by pushing her bra up and taking her nipple between her fingers.

Ali feels her senses igniting and hastily pulls her tank top over her head before grabbing Ash by the collar of hers and pulling her down for a heated kiss, fueled on by the taste of whiskey on her lips. With one hand fondling Ali's breast, the other makes quick work of the button and zipper of her shorts.

"Off. Now," she commands through a mumble into Ali's lips and the brunette eagerly obliges and lifts her butt off the desk to slide her shorts down past her thighs, letting Ashlyn take them the rest of the way as her body lights on fire under the blonde's touch.

When Ali's little shorts hit the floor, Ashlyn steps back just for a moment to take her in. Though she had seen her toned figure when she was in the wet-suit the other day, she admits that seeing Ali sitting before her in matching black lace underwear is so much better. Her tan skin is covered in a light sheen of sweat and glistening under the dim lights of the office. As she looks up to meet her brown eyes, she can see they are hungry with want, a look she knows her own mirror.

"These need to go too," Ash says as she closes the gap between them and tugs on Ali's panties. As soon as they're off, she closes the space between them again. "I'm going to fuck you so good," she whispers hotly in Ali's ear and nibbles on the sensitive flesh there while groping her full breasts.

Ali moans and throws her head back when she feels Ashlyn's fingers ghost over her hard clit. She can already feel how wet she is as the blonde slides her fingers through her soaking folds and let's out a moan herself at the feel of Ali's juices coating her fingers. Her hand goes swiftly to Ashlyn's shoulder to steady herself as two long fingers enter her, bottoming out at the knuckle. 

There's no teasing or playfulness as Ash begins working her fingers in and out. With the sexual tension that had been building up the past few days, all that they're searching for is release and Ash is quick to stroke Ali towards it.

"That's it," Ali cries out as her back arches off the desk and her hips lift up to grind into Ashlyn's furiously working fingers. "Right there," she adds breathlessly when the blonde uses her other hand on her lower back to help drive her fingers even deeper.

Ali's head is swimming as she races toward an orgasm, the searing white hot light taking over her whole body as she clamps her eyes shut and holds on for the ride the blonde's experienced fingers are giving her. Soft moans and mumbles of encouragement are escaping her lips, but it's not until Ash drops to her knees and begins stroking her with her tongue that she really lets loose.

"Fuck that feels so good!" she cries out when the blonde begins sucking on her swollen clit, too far gone to hope the music is loud enough that everyone doesn't hear her blissful screams from the back office. "Fuck! I'm going to cum, baby!"

 _Baby?_ Ash thinks with a smirk as she sucks harder on the brunette's clit. She knows Ali must be pretty far gone if she's cursing like that and calling her baby and hearing her that worked up instantly makes her even wetter. 

_Time to finish her off_ , she thinks and begins to drive her fingers in deeper, making sure to hit her g-spot every time as she curls her fingers up. 

"Fuck, Ash!" she screams as her impending orgasm hits her full force sending her body spasming with pleasure as she feels herself spill out over Ash's fingers.

Ash slowly pulls her fingers out, but keeps stroking Ali slowly and masterfully with her tongue as she feels the brunette trembling beneath her in throes of an orgasm. When she finally stills, Ash sits back on her heels and wipes her mouth with the back of her hand.

"Jesus," Ali breathes out as she tries to steady her spiking heart rate.

"I'm _that_ good?" Ash teases, but isn't fast enough to avoid the slap that comes her way immediately after.

Ali pulls Ash to her feet and guides her in between her soaking wet legs again. With a fistful of her collar she drags her down for a kiss, tasting herself on the blonde's lips.

"Time to return the favor," she mumbles into Ash's mouth as her hand pops the button of the blonde's skinny jeans. 

Just then there's a booming knock on the door. "Jesus, Harris you've been in there twenty minutes! Does it really take that long? We're getting slammed out here!"

Ali breaks the kiss and drops her head to Ash's collarbone in embarrassment. She hopes she can play off the flush on her cheeks as an 'I just got fucked' look and not an 'I'm totally embarrassed we just got caught' look. Ash pulls back and lifts her chin with her finger to meet Ali's eyes.

"It's okay. She won't say anything," she says sweetly. What she fails to add is 'she's used to it lately,' because it doesn't seem like the appropriate thing to do at the moment.

"I should go," Ali says a bit shyly as she hops off the desk and begins searching for her clothes.

She wobbles a bit, still not having gotten her legs back and Ash is quick to steady her. "Here," she says and sits Ali down in the chair, "let me." Ali smiles at her and nods so Ash turns to find her clothes, tossing them to her one article at a time.

Once she's dressed she stands and saunters over to where Ashlyn is leaning against the desk. She uses the hem of her shirt to wipe a bit of herself from Ashlyn's chin and then leans down to kiss her deeply. "That was fun," she says when she pulls back.

Ash nods and can't fight the large grin on her face as they make their way out of the office. "It was," she agrees as she slips behind that bar. 

Ali begins digging through her purse for her keys when she hears Jenna playfully chastising Ash. "Damn, Harris what took you so long?" She can't make out Ashlyn's answer but she keeps her head down to eavesdrop some more as she continues to pretend to search for her keys. "Tracy's been looking for you. I stalled her for you and said you were out back tapping a new keg. That girls wants some Harris tonight," she adds with a laugh.

Ali has heard enough when she turns to leave, but stops when she hears the response. "I've got other plans tonight, Jen." She's still smiling when she feels a gentle hand on her shoulder. She turns to find herself face to face with the beaming blonde. "I've got plans later tonight when I get off, right?" she says, and Ali knows she was caught listening.

"That all depends. When do you get off?" Ali says with a sultry smirk as they walk to the parking lot.

Ash shrugs and lets her hands cup Ali's ass when they reach her car. "Apparently whenever you tell me too. A beautiful woman like you is _definitely_ worth the wait." She knows that for sure now after their little back room escapade and if the still pulsating feeling between her legs is any indication, she can't wait to spend some more time with the brunette, preferably in her bed, naked.

"Well, you know where I live." She glances at her watch and sees it's still only eleven and that the bar is usually open until two. "Come by in a couple hours?" she asks, splitting the difference between them as she slides into her car.

Ash nods and leans down to give Ali a kiss that leaves her with a lasting impression, and thirst for more. "I guess I can wait," she replies with a wink before shutting the door carefully behind her.

 

......

 

When Ash pulls up around 12:45, she doesn't think Ali will mind that she's a few minutes early. She rings the doorbell and waits. When there's no response after a minute, she rings it again, this time a bit longer. 

"Come on, Ali," she mumbles under her breath, hoping that she hadn't fallen asleep. She tries the door, but as expected it's locked so she bends down a bit and peaks in the tiny window on the side of the door. The house is completely dark with no signs of movement.

"Damn it," she curses and then heads back to her car, wishing she had gotten the brunette's number at the bar. She can't blame her though, it is late and she can understand that she may have fallen asleep. 

While walking back to her Jeep, swinging her keys around her fingers, she suddenly realizes that Ali's BMW isn't in the driveway. She checks the little garage window and sees it's not in there either. Instantly she goes from understanding to angry. Ali isn't even home. _Couldn't even leave me a fucking note?_ she thinks to herself before peeling out of the driveway and heading back to the bar.


	7. Something Came Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some Ash & Ali backstory and lots of smut. Don't read at work lol

“Thank you for coming in last night Ms. Krieger. We wouldn’t have called if it wasn’t an emergency.”

Ali nods and pulls her gray cardigan tighter around her. “Of course. Thank you for calling,” she manages to get out through a yawn she isn’t able to cover.

“Looks like you should get home and get some sleep,” the older doctor says with a warm smile as she glances down at the thick file in her hand.

Glancing at her watch, Ali lets out a frustrated sigh. “Actually I have to get to the airport. I have to head back to D.C. for a bit for work. Please don’t hesitate to call me if anything like this happens again or if there’s any change. I’ll be on the first flight back,” she says assuredly.

The woman nods and looks at the exhausted brunette over the brim of her glasses. “Of course, dear. You are a good woman. Don’t let anyone tell you differently.” She adds the last part with a knowing look and Ali simply nods before pushing open the front door and heading out to the parking lot.

She slips into her car and makes the quick trip back to her house. Once there, she wanders into her bedroom and again packs up her suitcase before tossing it into her car. After scanning the fridge and tossing a few things into the garbage, she does a quick check to make sure all the doors and windows are locked and then heads out the front door.

Once on the road, she passes by JJ’s and her thoughts immediately flash to the night before.

 

_”Hello, this is Alexandra Krieger. How can I help you?”_

_“Ms Krieger,” comes the high-pitched voice on the other end of the line, “I’m terribly sorry to wake you at this hour, ma’am. There’s been a slight emergency. Do you think you’d be able to come down here? I think it would be helpful.”_

_Ali looks down at the black lace lingerie she has just put on for Ashlyn and lets out a sigh as she quickly strips it off and begins digging around for something presentable to wear. She can easily pick up on the frantic tone in the woman’s voice and knows it must be something serious. “Yes. I will be right there. Thank you for calling.”_

_Five minutes later she’s pulled on jeans and a t-shirt and runs out to her car parked in the driveway, slamming the front door of the house behind her._

 

As much as she wished she hadn’t gotten the phone call, she knows there was really no decision to be made. She just wishes she had thought to leave the blonde a note before she had rushed out of the house, but her mind was definitely elsewhere. As different as the night had turned out, she couldn’t help but think about how enthralled she had been by Ashlyn’s touch, by the feeling of her lips on her neck and her fingers digging into her back. She had felt completely alive for the first time in a while and that is something she definitely wants more of.

Without even thinking she impulsively makes a sharp right turn and whips into the tiny parking lot of the Surf Shop. Gravel and dirt shoot up into the air as the car slides to a stop in a parking spot, but she doesn’t wait for the dust to settle before she hops out of the car and makes her way towards the door.

Just as it was before, the front door is unlocked so she wanders into the store making sure to announce her presence so there won’t be another awkward encounter like the previous time. Though she wants to believe Ashlyn wouldn’t make the same mistake twice, she doesn’t actually know her and wants to spare everyone the embarrassment.

“Hello?” she calls out, but there is no answer. She peeks out back to the beach to check and see if she is surfing, but there are no floating bodies dotting the dark blue coastal water. “Ashlyn?” she tries again from the bottom of the stairs, still a bit terrified with what she might find in the upstairs office.

When there is again no answer, she slowly ascends the steps, pausing every few to see if she can hear any movement, but there is none. Finally, she reaches the top step and turns to the door on her right which is slightly cracked open. “Hello?” she whispers and pushes open the door, only to be met by a very puzzled looking Ashlyn.

“Uh…what are you doing here?” the blonde gets out as she quickly tugs the grey cut-off t-shirt she was holding over her wet, naked torso.

Ali watches as the shirt clings to her freshly showered body, outlining the curves of her breasts and hugging tightly to her biceps as the hemline falls right above her smooth, shaven center. The sight of it sends waves of desire raging through her body and she doesn’t even get any words out before she drops her bag and closes the distance between them, pushing Ashlyn back roughly into the wall behind her. 

She doesn’t think to apologize for the night before, to ask why Ashlyn lives above the shop or to even explain that she only had forty minutes before she had to get to the airport. After everything that happened last night, she just wants to forget it all for a moment -for her mind to go blank if even just for a moment- and knows the blonde can help her do just that.

“Sorry about last night. Something came up,” she mumbles into Ashlyn’s lips in a weak apology before turning her attention to the blonde’s neck with a heated focus.

Ashlyn’s original anger at the brunette quickly dissipates when Ali bites down hard on her neck and then begins soothing it with soft circles of her tongue. She had wanted more of an explanation, but as Ali’s fingers rake teasingly, but firmly down her sides she quickly realizes she wants something else even more right now. She wants the fiery brunette coming undone, while screaming her name. An apology will just have to wait. 

“It’s fine,” she says, though with a bit more of a bit than intended as her hands grasp Ali’s waist tightly, her body immediately remembering the effect Ali had on her the previous night.

Ali catches on to the clipped tone in Ashlyn’s voice, but doesn’t show it as she rips off the blonde’s wet t-shirt and slowly begins rubbing circles over Ash’s clit with her thumb, her lips trained on Ashlyn’s nipples as she takes time to suck and nibble on each one. There isn’t much that could be said by way of apology and besides, she was always an ‘actions speak louder than words’ type of person anyways.

After a minute of Ali rubbing her clit, Ashlyn suddenly feels nothing. She lets out a groan, but when she opens her eyes she sees the welcome sight of Ali dropping to her knees. 

Ali smirks as she meets Ashlyn’s eyes, her hands gripping the blonde’s ass firmly as she flicks her tongue over her swollen clit. Ash tries to keep her eyes locked on Ali, the sight of the brunette on her knees in front of her is so hot, but she can’t do anything but throw her head back with a look of pure pleasure when Ali runs her tongue down further through her soaking folds, and lets out a moan of her own as she taste’s the blonde for the first time. 

After a moment, Ali pulls her eyes from Ashlyn’s flushed face and turns all of her focus to the task at hand. She pulls Ash's left leg over her shoulder and with her fingers digging into the blonde’s firm ass, Ali pulls her hips forward and plunges her deep into her. Ash lets out a loud moan as her fingers weave into Ali’s hair, pulling the brunette into her while she bucks her hips forward into Ali's mouth, begging wordlessly for more contact. She feels Ali’s tongue driving into her and through her haze filled state, somehow manages the composure to look down.

She sees Ali, her long, wavy hair pulled over one shoulder, bobbing her head with each thrust into her wet folds, with a look of pure determination spread across her face. 

The sight itself is almost enough to make her cum, but when Ali feels Ash staring, looks up sexily and winks, Ash loses it. She was already spiraling toward a quick orgasm, but this definitely sets her over the edge.

“Fuck yes!" she calls out as Ali's lips latch onto her clit, sucking hard as her legs began trembling under her own weight. "Fuck Ali, don't stop," she begs as she feels herself teetering over the thin line.

Even though Ali can hear Ashlyn verbalizing her pulsating orgasm, she knew the exact moment it happened by the way Ashlyn's legs tensed up, how her walls tightened around her tongue and how she suddenly felt the rush of Ashlyn's juices into her eagerly waiting mouth. 

She feels Ashlyn trembling under her touch and backs off knowing that Ashlyn won't be able to stand much longer and she most likely isn't able to support all of her weight, especially in heels.

The moment she lets up though and breaks contact, it's as if a fire ignites in the blonde. Ali's not sure where she finds the strength-just ten seconds ago her whole body was shaking, barely able to hold her own weight-but suddenly she is in Ashlyn's arms and then she is being thrown down roughly on the bed.

"You think you can just come in here and surprise me like that?" Ash challenges as pulls off Ali's heels and then begins unbuttoning the cream blouse Ali had tucked into her mid calf pants. 

Ali looks up at her from her back with wide eyes. The look Ashlyn has in her eyes is piercing through her as she nods her head. "I couldn't stop thinking about last night," Ali supplies, as she leans forward and lets Ash slip her blouse and bra over her shoulders.

"Oh yeah? Like what?" she asks as she climbs onto the bed on top of Ali and begins kissing her neck while unzipping her pants.

Ali lifts her hips as Ash wiggles them down. "Like how good you made me feel and how hot I got from you just touching me," she gets out breathlessly when Ash begins sucking on her nipple.

"Touching you like this?" Ash says as she slides Ali's panties to the side and slides her finger up and down.

The brunette's hips lift up into Ashlyn's fingers as a sigh escapes her lips. "Yes...like that," Ali agrees and gasps when she feels Ashlyn sink two fingers deep into her.

"What else?" Ash asks as she makes her way back up, kissing up Ali's neck towards her ear.

Ali's mind is flooding with sensations; Ashlyn's fingers buried in her folds, her hot breath in her ear and her warm lips on her neck. "I...I..." she tries, but Ashlyn has increased her pace and she's unable to find the words.

"You what? Focus, Ali," Ash demands and stills her fingers much to Ali's chagrin.

"Ash, please," Ali begs. She doesn't want to give the blonde the satisfaction, but she's too far gone to not get her release.

"Please what?" she asks, her lips still attached to Ali's neck. "You came all the way over here for one reason so I need you to tell me exactly what you want me to do." She waits and there's still no response as Ali is pushing her legs together to try to get some sort of pressure on her clit.

Ash pulls her fingers out and holds Ali's thighs down on the bed. "Look at me," she demands and Ali's eyes shoot wide open at the firm command. "Tell me what you want me to do to your body, Alexandra."

The way her given name rolls off Ashlyn's tongue sends shivers down Ali's spine while simultaneously emboldening her. She leans forward a bit so her lips are poised next to the blonde's ear. "I want you to tongue fuck my pussy while I ride your face until I'm screaming your name. Think you can do that?" she asks and before she gets an answer places her hand on top of Ashlyn's head and pushes it back down between her legs.

Ash is floored by the brunette's sudden display of dominance, but can't deny it turns her on. She quickly dips her tongue into Ali's sweet folds, but isn't given time to tease as Ali's hands go to the back of her head and press it in deeper. "Now," she commands as she opens her legs wider to give Ash more access. 

The blonde doesn't hesitate to bury her tongue deeper and within minutes, Ali is rocking her hips furiously into her face, fingers digging into her shoulder with her head thrown back into the pillow. "Fuck, Ashlyn!" she screams as she comes undone when Ash begins swirling her tongue deep in her pussy, her nose and chin covered with copious amounts of Ali's juices.

Ali's hand to her forehead lets her know to finally let up. She fights it though and gets a few more licks in before Ali's shudders turn almost violent and she knows it's cruel to push her any farther.

"Damn," Ali breathes out as Ash rolls over onto her back and wipes her face with the t-shirt that Ali had earlier stripped off of her and thrown across the room. 

They lay quietly, both panting while simultaneously basking in the epic orgasms they had both given and received. After a few minutes, Ali rolls over onto her side, propping herself up on her elbow as she looks down at Ash with a smirk.

“I told you I’d make it worth the wait,” she breathes out in between kisses as she makes her way down Ashlyn’s again naked torso.

“You did,” Ashlyn manages to get out as she pulls Ali back up to kiss her lips.

With a quick glance at the clock behind Ash's head, Ali lets out a sigh. “I have to go,” she says as she lifts herself up to her elbows and brushes a few stray hairs out of her face.

Ashlyn tries to fight back the dejected look on her face as she looks back at the beautiful, spent brunette. She’s usually the one doing the leaving and can’t help but feel a slight sting at the way Ali is so eager to make her escape. “Alright,” she replies and pushes off the bed to search for her clothes.

As Ashlyn shuffles around the room Ali can tell something is bothering her and is pretty sure she knows exactly what it is. “Ash, I really am sorry about last night. Something came up.” She can tell by the look in Ashlyn’s eyes that she should offer more, but she honestly doesn’t have the time or energy to get into it all.

“You have nothing to apologize for,” she says evenly after adjusting her sports bra into position. She then begins kicking articles of clothes around looking for a pair of shorts.

Ali slides off the bed and walks over to where Ashlyn is now bending over digging through a drawer for a shirt. “And I’m sorry I have to leave now,” she adds, while bending over and pressing her pubic bone into Ashlyn’s exposed ass, running her hand up the blonde’s thigh.

Ash takes in a sharp breath as she feels Ali’s hot breath on her neck and her breasts pushed into her back. _Damn this woman knows how to get me worked up._ “Then don’t,” she says, quickly forgetting her anger as she turns and picks Ali up, tossing her back down on the bed. She smiles devilishly as she looks down at Ali who is biting her lip.

“I have to,” Ali whines when Ash slowly begins climbing on top of her. “I have…a flight…to catch,” she manages to get out even though Ashlyn’s thumb is rubbing perfect circles around her already soaking clit and her middle finger is teasing her entrance.

Ash pulls back at this, realizing Ali isn’t just teasing her to which the brunette lets out a frustrated groan. “Oh shit. What time?” she asks and glances at the clock when Ali answers her. Her eyes go wide when she sees the actual time and she jumps off the bed to look for Ali’s clothes. “You better hurry,” she says, as she drops Ali’s clothes on her lap. “There’s no way you’ll make it!”

Ali finally sees the time once she’s able to pull her eyes away from Ashlyn’s naked, captivating body. “You’re right. There’s no way I’ll make it,” she says as she frantically pulls on her clothes. 

When she had showed up, she didn’t have the intention of staying for long. Unfortunately, or fortunately for her, she seems to always get lost in the moment with the sexy blonde. “I still have to find parking,” she groans as she begins buttoning her shirt from the top.

Ashlyn walks over and helps her with a few of the bottom buttons and then tucks in the blouse in the back for her. “I’ll drop you off,” she offers earnestly and Ali is touched by the thoughtfulness.

“You don’t have to,” she replies quickly, not wanting to complicate what they really are, as she looks around for her other shoe.

“Well seeing as I’m the reason your late…” Ash reasons as she kicks a t-shirt away, exposing Ali’s second heel. “I was heading out anyways,” she adds. It’s a lie, but Ali doesn’t know that.

Ali sighs and finally gives in. “Are you sure you’re not supposed to be working?” she adds, remembering the last time that Ash had done her a favor. She really didn’t want to get the blonde in trouble.

“Well I own the place, so…” Ash replies nonchalantly with a shrug as she slips on a pair of sandals.

This catches Ali’s attention and she looks up from buckling her heel. “What? You said….you said your boss wouldn’t mind us borrowing the boards. How…how can....”

Ashlyn holds her finger up to quite a perplexed Ali. “No. I said the owner is pretty chill and wouldn’t mind. I _am_ pretty chill, right?” she says with a confident smile.

The confession catches Ali off guard. She wouldn’t have pegged the care-free blonde as a business owner, but then again the business wasn’t even open. “I guess you could say that,” she says with a smirk. “So how’d you come to own the Surf Shop?”

“Well, it was my father’s and I inherited it from him after he passed,” she says solemnly, the playfulness they had been experiencing quickly evaporating. “Things started to go down hill and he could barely pay the taxes for this place, especially when the state hiked them up and it was just too stressful for him. He had a heart attack and passed last year.”

Her face drops a bit and even though the subject is somber, Ali finds the vulnerability a bit endearing. “I’m sorry about your dad,” she offers quietly, unsure what else to say.

“It’s okay. I just…I wish I could have kept the place open, ya know? I had to close it six months after he passed. I feel like I let him down.” She digs her toe into the floorboard, not wanting to meet the brunette’s gaze. Ali was obviously very well off and here she was, unable to keep a shop open and working at her friend’s bar to make ends meet. She doesn’t know why, but she just wants to impress the beautiful woman standing before her and her sob story is doing anything but.

“Well maybe you’ll get it back open,” Ali offers, though she has no real reasoning to back it up.

Ash let’s out a cold laugh as her jaw tightens. “Doubt it. Not with the way the big commercial stores are coming in here the past few years. Do you know how many small shops have closed since Wal-Mart and Ron Jon’s and all those big shit stores have opened up here?”

Ali awkwardly shakes her head and tries to steer the conversation in a different direction. It’s getting a bit too serious for her liking. “Well it doesn’t’ hurt to be optimistic. Look, I’ve really got to get going if I’m going to make my flight.”

“Right,” says Ash as she snaps out of her tense state. She grabs her keys off the wooden dresser. “Let’s get going then.”

Fifteen minutes later they pull up in front of the airport. Ash shifts the car into park right in front of the entrance and they lock eyes for a moment before Ali breaks the silence.

“Thanks for the ride,” Ali says as she slips out of the car to grab her suitcase from the backseat.

Ash beats her to it and when their hands connect, their eyes meet and suddenly there is an awkward silence as neither knows how to progress. They haven’t really spent any time together, spare the time they’ve been naked and both are unsure what they’re even really doing. All they know is the certainly enjoy each other’s company underneath the sheets.

“Of course,” Ash gets out quietly and drops her eyes as she tries to muster her courage. Ali takes the bag from Ashlyn’s hand and offers a small smile before turning around. “Ali, wait…” The brunette turns and looks at her expectantly, suitcase in hand. “Can I see you when you get back?” Ash asks as she comes around the car and grabs Ali’s hand.

“I’m sure you’ll see me around,” Ali says with a smile.

“I meant, like…can I take you out?” She can't believe the words slip from her lips, but she's pretty sure it's her libido talking. Dinner and drinks usually leads to a night wrapped in the sheets so it makes sense...

Ali lets it hang in the air for a while as she considers it. She really is in no position to date and she certainly didn’t peg the blonde for the relationship type either based on her knowledge, but she certainly does have a fun time with Ash. “I suppose I can work in another late night rendezvous,” she supplies with a wink and pulls Ash in for a deep kiss before turning and leaving her standing there slack jawed with the taste of Ali on her lips.


	8. Just Having a Little Fun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the comments! Glad you're enjoying :) and GO USA!!!!

Ali stares out the window at the wisps of clouds that engulf the plane, each with their own halo from the sun’s golden Rays reigning down on them. She loves the simple beauty of it and how at peace she always feels when she’s 30,000 feet in the air. 

There’s work that needs to be done, files and briefs that need to be read for her upcoming meetings, but she just wants to enjoy the moment of bliss. Besides, she’s not sure she’s even able to get the image of the blonde pressed up against the wall, head thrown back while moaning Ali’s name as she came undone in her mouth out of her mind long enough to focus on anything else.

The shy confession about her owning the Surf Shop and trying to get it back off the ground is also replaying through her mind and she can’t shake the feeling of guilt that she has everything she could want, but Ashlyn can’t make her own dreams come true. The way Ashlyn’s eyes dropped to the floor and her voice lowered was the only time Ali’s ever really seen her confidence waiver and it has her a bit shaken. Even though she’s not looking for a relationship, the blonde’s cockiness has been a major turn on so it was different to see a shy, vulnerable side of her.

“Here you go, Ms. Krieger.”

The flight attendant's voice pulls her from her thoughts. With a polite smile she thanks the woman for the drink being handed to her and then turns her attention back to the window. After taking a few sips of her drink she peers down the aisle to the left and waves a middle-aged man over.

“Is there anything I can get you, Alexandra?” he asks while fiddling with the middle button of his suit to get it closed.

“Always dressed to the nines aren’t you, Eli?” she says with a laugh as she takes in the man in his pristine suit. He’s been her advisor for the last two years and Ali doesn’t remember a time when he didn’t look on point.

He returns her smile. “Well one of us has to,” he says with a knowing look. “I see you had some fun at that little townie bar a few nights while you were in town.”

It’s a playful chastisement and Ali knows it, but it still feels a bit off-putting that he knows everything as usual. “Did you have me followed?” she asks with mild annoyance, even though she knows the answer.

Eli plops down in the seat across the aisle from her and pops open the button on his gray suit coat so it doesn’t wrinkle. “You know your security detail is never far behind, Alexandra. I personally find it quite humorous when you go to places like that. Greg and Dan just love getting dressed in their cargo shorts and tank tops, don’t you boys?” he calls over his shoulder, earning a laugh from the brunette and the security guards a few rows back. “You just need to make sure you’re careful,” he says with a raised eyebrow and warning tone. “I know you’ve always been discreet, but the media has their ways of finding things out. If we keep things up, the sky’s the limit for you,” he finishes with an encouraging smile.

Ali lets out a frustrated sigh. She’s sick of everyone telling her to be a good girl and stay on the ‘right path’. “Will I ever have a normal life?” she replies sarcastically, only Eli doesn’t know just how serious she is in her desire.

“Do you really want one?” he replies pointedly. “Private jets, power, money. What else could you want?”

Ali looks back at him with pursed lips, annoyed that his take on like seems so capitalistically simple. “Freedom? Privacy? Living without someone digging into every single aspect of my life? Do those things not matter to you?”

Eli just shrugs. “I have all those things.”

“Must be nice,” Ali grumbles and finishes off her drink. She knows Eli is just doing his job, but can’t fight the slight resentment she feels towards him. “Can you please just get me the Renley files? I’d like to review them before we convene later today,” she replies, meeting his eyes with an even glance. “And ask the attendant to bring me another vodka soda,” she adds dismissively.

Eli stands and straightens out his jacket. “Of course, Ms. Krieger. Would you like me to go over the files with you? You’ll want to be prepared with the right answers if any questions come up.”

Ali shakes her head and waves him off, thoroughly annoyed. _You mean I should be prepared with **their** answers when questions arise._ She already doesn’t want to be making this last minute trip, especially with everything going on with her personal life in Florida and the last thing she needs is to be guilt tripped by Eli about her nightly escapades and state of preparedness. “No I’ll read them myself first. Thank you, Eli.”

“Of course,” he nods before heading to the back of the jet to grab the files she requested.

_____

 

“What are you smiling so big about?” Jenna asks when Ashlyn comes strolling into the bar with a wide grin on her face.

“Oh nothing,” Ash replies in a sing song voice as she slips onto a bar stool and adjusts her snapback.

Jenna eyes her skeptically. “Does it have something to do with a certain brunette that’s been recently frequenting my bar?”

With a shrug, Ash dismisses the conversation. She really doesn’t feel like being grilled by Jenna at the moment, especially when she doesn’t even know where she stands with Ali, or what _she_ even wants from her. _Did I really ask her out on a date when she gets back? You are losing it, Harris. _Ash shakes the thought from her mind as best she can. “So how was the take last night after I left?”__

__Jenna knows she’s changing the conversation, but she lets it slide. Since the breakup Ash has been in a weird state and she doesn’t want to push her too much. “It was really good. Thanks for helping out.”_ _

__“It’s my job,” Ash supplies, though there’s the tiniest sense of resentment there._ _

__It doesn’t go unnoticed by Jenna who sets down the receipts she’s been going through and levels her eyes to meet Ashlyn’s. “Any news on the Surf Shop yet?”_ _

__Ash shrugs nonchalantly. “Working on it. I filled out some forms and have a meeting with the bank in a few weeks. Hopefully they’ll go for it. I just need a small loan and I have a different business strategy that I really think will turn things around.”_ _

__“Look at you go. Ashlyn Harris, MBA. Who would have thought?” she jokes as she pinches her friend's cheek teasingly._ _

__With an eye roll Ash slaps Jenna’s hand away. “A Master's degree in Business still might not be enough to save my dad’s shop,” she says dejectedly as she pulls out her phone and begins scrolling through Instagram._ _

__“There’s a lot you can do with your degree, Ash,” she replies, cautiously testing the waters. She knows Ash won’t give up on the shop, but there really are endless possibilities for her with her business degree._ _

__It was the wrong thing to say. Ash looks up with a pained expression that sends waves of guilt washing over Jenna. “That shop is everything to me, Jen. You know that. It’s all I have left of him. I grew up there. It’s been me and him in that place since before I can remember. I can’t just let it go. I can’t…”_ _

__Jenna nods in surrender. She knows it’s a sensitive subject that Ash has been dealing with internally for quite some time. “I know, Ash. And if you need any-”_ _

__“I’m not taking your money, Jenna,” she cuts her off and pushes the stool back from the bar to slip off._ _

__Jenna laughs and shakes her head. “I was going to say you should get on that brunette’s good side. By the way she dresses and that sexy BMW she drives, looks like she’s pretty loaded.”_ _

__The joke strikes a nerve and Ash let’s out an annoyed groan. “Her name is Ali and no. It's not a long term thing, Jen. We're just having a little fun. I’m going to head into the office to try and balance these books. If you need anything you know where to find me.”_ _

__Jenna just watches her friend slink away with a sad expression. She wishes there was more she could do, but honestly it is all she could do to keep her own place open._ _

_______ _

__

__“Mmm I missed that, Jules” Ali moans as the younger woman licks her fingers clean after having just finished the brunette off for the second time._ _

__“That’s what happens when you leave me and go to Florida,” Julie laughs with a fake pout before placing a chaste kiss on Ali’s lips. She rolls onto her side, her arm thrown across Ali's bare chest. “I’ll take what I can get though.”_ _

__Ali wraps her arm around the woman and pulls her in close, meeting her piercing blue eyes. She runs her fingers over the woman’s torso, but can’t help but think that her skin is too pale and would look so much hotter with tattoos. As Julie leans in to kiss her neck, she can’t help but notice how her kisses are too light and passive. And when a hand slips between her legs, she can’t do anything but try and force the images of Ashlyn from her mind as she rolls on top of the woman whom she occasionally visits when she’s in D.C. for work. “Well I fly out tomorrow again so you better get your fill,” she whispers hotly into her ear as she spreads her legs out with her knee before slipping two fingers in._ _


	9. On the List

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> USA! USA! So happy right now so I decided to put up another chapter tonight! Let me know what you think :)

It’s not even noon when Ashlyn is awoken by a pillow smacking her in the face. She groans and rolls over to press her face back into her pillow and tugs the sheets over her head. “Go away,” she grumbles through it.

“You said we could go surfing today!” says Chris as he lifts his arms and brings them back down, smacking his sister in the back of the head with the pillow again.

“Chris I swear to God,” she warns before rolling over. “Can you just give me a few minutes? I’ll meet you down there.”

With a sigh, Chris concedes. His sister is not a morning person and judging by the way she reeks of alcohol, he surmises she had a late night. “Fine. Five minutes!” he says and tosses the pillow next to her on the bed before making his way down to the shop.

After a few minutes, Ash is dressed in her wetsuit and makes her way down the stairs.

“Jesus, rough night, sis?” Chris asks inquisitively as he takes in the state of his sister. Her eyes are bloodshot and she has bags under her eyes. He also notes she looks a little pale.

Ash pushes past him and heads to the back room for her board. “I’m fine. Just had to stay up late to close the bar,” she offers.

“Closing the bar the only reason you stayed up late?” Chris asks with a knowing look, hinting at his sister’s propensity for staying up late with beautiful women. He recalls seeing her chatting up a particularly gorgeous blonde for a few hours the night before at the bar before he had left.

Ash just shoots him a look as they make their way out the back door and down to the shore. “I didn’t take anyone home if that’s what you’re insinuating.”

“Hey, I’m just trying to keep tabs on how you’re doing. You’re my baby sister and I worry about you. I know things haven’t been going well for you,” he says sincerely as they pull even with each other.

Ash shrugs and just stares out at the water. “When it rains it pours right? Dad. The Shop. Kate. Can’t get anyone to stick around,” she says with a cold laugh.

Though she tries to hide it, Chris can see the pained expression his sister is wearing. He wishes there was something he could do, but knows Ash has her own way of dealing with things. Unfortunately, that just happens to be not dealing with them at all. “Ash, you’re the best person I know. There’s nothing we could do about dad or the shop and Kate, well if she doesn’t see how amazing you are then she sure as hell doesn’t deserve you.”

“Can we just surf?” Ash asks and doesn’t wait for an answer before wading out into the brisk ocean water. She ignores the chills that run through her body as she slides onto her board and begins paddling out, her brother right behind her.  
When they get past the break, they pull up and sit there for a moment.

“One last question?” Chris asks and the hopefulness in his voice is enough to break through Ash’s shell for just a moment.

“Sure.”

He’s a bit caught off guard she so easily agreed, but quickly recovers. “What’s with this Ali chick that Jenna said you’ve left with a couple nights?”

_Really, Jenna? You told Chris?_ Ash simply shrugs because she honestly doesn’t know how to answer the question. “Not sure. I mean…she’s fun, if you know what I mean.” She winks and gets a groan from her brother who knows exactly where her head is at.

“Anything more than just some fun?” he asks, knowing his sister hasn’t seen the same girl more than once since things ended with Kate. Also alarming him is the information Jenna told him about how Ash has only taken a girl home once last week after Ali had flown to D.C. for work.

“Jesus, how much has Jenna told you?” she groaned and splashed water at her smirking brother.

He quickly paddles away from her and calls out, “Just that you may or may not have asked her on a date!”

“I’m going to kill her!” Ash laughs. “The words just came out before I even thought about it,” she chuckles. “I doubt it’ll happen though.”

“Why not?” Chris inquires, now making his way back over, cutting through the water.

“She didn’t answer me. And I don’t think she’s the relationship type. And I’m not ready to be in one either. I thoroughly enjoy testing the waters,” she says in an a goofy tone that gets Chris laughing.

“Mhmm,” Chris hums in response. He knows his sister well enough to know when she’s trying to talk herself out of something. “Just be careful, Ash,” he says in a concerned tone.

“Always am!” she says before starting to paddle on a wave.

______

When Ali gets back into town, her first stop after visiting her brother, is to head to the Surf Shop. The entire week she’s been thinking about her sexually charged encounters with the blonde and even her usual fiery time with Julie paled in comparison to what Ashlyn had made her feel in just those few short meetings.

She tries the door, but this time it’s actually locked. After knocking a few times and getting no answer, she heads out back to see if the blonde is at the beach since her Jeep was still in the parking lot. When she rounds the corner she spots Ashlyn just as she’s about to catch a wave and stays tucked behind the building so as not to distract her. After she rides the wave out, Ali finally steps out and reveals herself, calling out the blonde’s name.

Ashlyn’s face immediately lights up, though she tries to curb her enthusiasm. “Hey, Ali!” she says as she paddles in and jogs over to the brunette, her colorful board nestled under her arm.

Ali swallows hard as she looks at Ashlyn’s extremely toned body hugged tightly at every curve by her black Hurley wetsuit, her hair throw into a messy bun and sporting her signature dimpled grin on her sun kissed face. “Hey,” she says and bites her bottom lip to hold back her smirk.

“How was work?” Ash asks, though Ali’s expression is not lost on her.

Ali awkwardly shrugs. “It was okay. Pretty boring. Bunch of old guys telling me what to do,” she says with a chuckle.

“So pretty much just like all of corporate America?” Ash jokes as she lets her eyes wander Ali in her tight black pencil skirt, with a cream blouse loosely tucked into it. She swears Ali must have undone the top two buttons just for her because she’s a few inches taller than her and able to catch the slight outline of her cleavage. With a deep breath she sets her board down and rolls her wet suit down to her hips, leaving just her string bikini on up top. _Two can play this game._

Now Ali is really struggling to keep her libido in check as she takes in Ashlyn’s tattooed torso and rippled abs that peek up over the top of the suit. At first she wasn’t sure what she wanted when she showed up there, but watching the salty water droplets from Ash’s hair run down her neck and along her collarbone, only to drip out of sight under her bikini top, she knows exactly why she’s there. “Uh…yeah,” she says and licks her lips. She needs this woman. Now.

Ashlyn can sense the change in Ali’s demeanor and knows the look all too well. “Want to come up for a little bit?” she asks, full of confidence and nods to the wooden stairs that lead upstairs to her apartment.

Suddenly overcome with her hormone fueled desire Ali closes the gap between them. Standing on her tip toes, she whispers in a challenging tone, “What I want to do to you will take more than a little bit.”

Ashlyn swallows hard at her suggestive words and drops her sandy hand down to Ali’s waist to pull her closer. She meets her soft brown eyes with a sultry stare of her own, amazed at what a few words from the brunette can do to her body. “Well it’s a good thing I’ve got all afternoon. Because the list of things I want to do to you is pretty long as well,” she growls and pulls Ali’s body into her.

Ali closes the gap between their lips and kisses Ashlyn deeply. “Oh ya? What’s the first thing on that list?” she asks while walking backwards and pulling Ashlyn up the rickety wooden stairs behind her.

Surfboard long forgotten, Ashlyn stumbles her way up the stairs, furiously unbuttoning Ali’s blouse as they finally reach the door. Unable to wait to open the door, she pushes Ali against it and attacks her neck with kisses, and quickly makes her way down to her now exposed chest as the blouse is hanging loosely on her shoulders.

As turned on as Ali is, she knows she can’t have sex on Ashlyn’s back patio in broad daylight, so she pulls her hand off Ashlyn’s back and pushes open the sliding door so she can walk Ashlyn into the apartment.

Once inside, Ash takes it up to another level. She tugs Ali’s blouse from her skirt and slides it over her shoulders quickly as Ali’s hands slide into the back of her wetsuit, grabbing her ass firmly to press their bodies together. As the blouse drops to the ground, she makes quick work of Ali’s bra and a smirk crosses her face right before she takes her perky nipple in her mouth.

Ali is quick to push her off though with a hand to her now bare chest. The confused expression on Ashlyn’s face is quickly replaced with a devilish grin when Ali begins pulling her wet suit down over her hips, kissing every inch of newly exposed skin before nipping at her hip. “I asked you what the first thing on the list was,” she demands staring back up at Ashlyn in a calm tone that surprises even herself considering how worked up she is.

Ashlyn guides her back up, to a standing position before pushing her backwards. “First thing on the list is to eat you out right here on my kitchen table,” she says huskily as she lifts Ali onto the wooden table and pushes her skirt up as high as she can get it.

Ali doesn’t even have time to formulate a response before her red thong is dropped on the floor and Ashlyn’s head is buried between her legs. Her view of Ash is obstructed by her tight skirt, but she can certainly feel what the blonde is doing and her body is responding with a mind of it’s own.

“God I missed you,” Ali gets out as Ashlyn sucks on her hard clit. 

Ash smirks, but doesn’t let up, as she feels Ali’s hands intertwine in her hair and pull her head in closer. She knows exactly what the brunette wants as her fingers dig into her scalp and her hips thrust up and is rewarded with a low throaty moan when she runs her tongue teasingly over Ali’s soaking entrance before plunging her tongue deep into her warm center.

Ali’s back arches up again when she works up her pace and Ash pulls her hands off Ali’s breasts to pin her hips down to the table. The moans and sighs escaping from Ali's throat, set a fire under Ash as she laps at Ali's sweet tasting slit, feeling herself quickly getting worked up from the obvious pleasure she's providing. 

As Ali's moans get higher pitched and draw on longer, Ash increases her pressure on Ali's clit and releases her hips so she can get it exactly where she wants it. 

"Yes, Ash. Oh my god I'm going to cum," she wails as her senses ignite in a white hot fire she feels all the way down to her toes, her legs wrapped tightly around Ashlyn's back as she desperately pulls the blonde in closer. Her skirt is most likely about to rip any moment, but she's too far gone to care.

Seconds later her body is shaking and Ash groans as Ali spills out into her mouth. 

"Shit, Alex," she says, pulling back after a few more quick licks and wipes her mouth. 

"Damn." Ali says with a chuckle as she props herself up on her elbows and looks down at the smirking blonde. 

"Damn is right," Ash replies with a grin as she leans over and let's Ali taste herself on her lips. "You taste so good," Ash mumbles into Ali's lips.

"Mmmm yeah?" Ali purrs as slides her skirt off and then tightly grips Ashlyn's sides and pulls her in closer. Her strong legs wrap around Ashlyn's waist as she slides her hands around the blonde's neck and brings her down for a kiss that quickly becomes heated.

The kiss lasts a few minutes as they fight for dominance until Ali quickly relinquishes it again when she feels Ash's lips lock onto her neck. She's still worked up from last time and when Ash's hands slip underneath her ass and effortlessly lift her off the table, she lets out a gasp. "What's next on the list?" she questions breathlessly so she can try to prepare herself for what's coming next.

"I think I need a shower," Ash says as she kicks her wetsuit out of the way while stumbling down the hall and into the bathroom. 

"Well I mean...if it's on the list..." Ali replies nonchalantly with a smirk that quickly drops off her face when her back is pressed onto the cool tile wall of the walk in shower. 

"You were saying?" Ash says as she pulls her lips from Ali's neck and sets her down before turning on the water on full blast and dropping to her knees.

"Yeah..." Ali gets out in a high pitched squeal as she feels Ash's lips around her and the hot water washing over her body. "I definitely like the shower idea," she adds when Ash guides her foot to the built in soap tray before sinking two fingers deep into her.


	10. Maybe Top Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in posting! Traveled to Seattle and Vancouver for some exploring/ the WWC Finals and it's been a bit hectic. Time zone difference sucks lol. Anyways hope you enjoy this one!

Ali checks herself out in the mirror, smoothing down the navy blue sun dress she had just put on before pulling her hair over her right shoulder. “Looking good, Krieger,” she mumbles to herself as she turns to check out her backside which is perfectly accentuated by the cut of the dress. 

She glances over at the clock and sees that she has fifteen minutes before she’s going to get picked up. Deeming that it’s just enough time for a drink, she wanders into the kitchen and pulls a bottle of bourbon out of the liquor cabinet and pours herself a glass. Leaning against the kitchen counter, she thinks back to yesterday’s events. The events that now have her in an expensive dress, drinking to calm her nerves, sc waiting for Ashlyn to pick her up for dinner in fifteen minutes.

 

_“Can I take you out tomorrow night?” The candid words shock both women when they come spilling out of Ashlyn’s mouth as she holds herself up over Ali’s naked, panting body. The brunette’s eyes go wide and she sits up a bit, gently pushing Ashlyn back so that she’s now sitting on her thighs._

_“What was that?” she asks with a smirk._

_There was no way of backing down now, Ali had clearly heard her so Ash just shrugs. “Come out with me tomorrow. I have the night off.”_

_She suddenly sounds so nonchalant about it so Ali decides to push her on it. “Oh you won’t have your normal buffet of women streaming through the bar so you need to set one up ahead of time?”_

_A look of hurt passes through Ashlyn’s eyes for just a second and she quickly rolls off Ali and onto her side. She hates that Ali has only seen this side of her and not the one that was a committed, faithful girlfriend for over a year. “No…I just…wanted to take you out on a date,” she says pointedly._

_“From what I’ve seen, you don’t do dates,” Ali says with a finger pointing at Ashlyn’s chest. “And neither do I for that matter. I’m really not looking for a relationship.”_

_Ashlyn can see Ali is reading too much into her question and quickly tries to salvage the conversation. “I’m not asking you to be my girlfriend, Ali. I just thought I could take you out for a nice dinner before taking you back to my place and having my way with you.”_

_The cocky smirk across Ashlyn’s face quickly cuts the tension that had been building. “Hmmm…” Ali pretends to ponder by tapping her chin playfully. “I guess I could let you take me out. On two conditions though.”_

_“And just what would those be?” she says with a dimpled grin as she begins rubbing Ali’s still-swollen clit with her thumb while meeting her gaze._

_“I pay for dinner to thank you for taking me to the airport last week…and you…come back…to my place after,” Ali gets out just before Ash inserts a finger into her without warning._

_She sharply gasps and spreads her legs, ready to give her body over for Ash to take, but the blonde has other ideas._

_“And why do I need to come back to your place?” she asks, pulling her fingers out and now just shallowly fucking Ali’s entrance with two fingers._

_“Because I want to fuck you in my Jacuzzi after,” Ali says evenly before grabbing Ashlyn’s wrist and pushing her fingers exactly where she wants them, deep into her core._

 

She finishes her drink and decides against having another. She’s not really sure what she’s doing with Ashlyn in agreeing to go out with her. As much as she enjoys spending time in bed with the blonde, she really is not looking for anything serious.

Still, she can’t deny that she’s drawn to the blonde in more than just a physical way. She likes being around her and enjoys the playful banter they easily share back and forth. It’s really the only reason she agreed to go to dinner. She knows it won’t be like other awkward first dates, mostly because there’s already the agreement they will be having hot, casual sex after so they can skip the uneasiness related to proper first date etiquette. 

The doorbell rings at exactly 7pm and two things about that surprise Ali; that Ashlyn is exactly on time and that she came to the door instead of just texting her to come out. Add a third surprise to the mix when she pulls open the door to see Ashlyn standing there holding a single flower with a beaming smile.

Ali smiles and takes it, poking her head out the door and glancing to her right. “Did you really just steal this from my garden?” she asks, turning back to Ashlyn to give her a playfully chastising look.

“No idea what you’re talking about,” Ash says, feigning a perplexed expression.

Ali just shakes her head and turns to tuck the flower into a vase already filled with vibrant lilies. “So thoughtful,” she chuckles while grabbing her small leather clutch off the desk in the front hallway. “Ready to go, sexy?” she asks with a hand on the blonde's chest, letting her eyes wander Ash, her chiseled features further accentuated by a light touch of makeup. She’s in skinny black jeans and form-fitting dark grey t-shirt with her wavy hair parted to the side and tattoos on full display.

Ash smiles and turns to lead Ali to the car. She opens up the door for the brunette and offers a hand to help her in. Ali smiles and thanks her, but she keeps it to herself that part of it was her selfish desire to check out Ali’s ass in her dress when she climbed up into her Jeep.

Twenty minutes later, they’re settled into a corner table at Delaggio’s Steak House, sipping on their glasses of wine after just having ordered.

“That waitress was flirting with you,” Ali says bluntly a few minutes after the woman took their orders.

Ash just smiles back and shrugs. “Does that bother you?”

Ali shakes her head and then takes a long sip of wine before speaking. “Not at all. Just as long as you know who you’re going home with _tonight_.”

The inflection Ali uses on the word ‘tonight’ piques her curiosity. “So you wouldn’t be upset if I met up with her tomorrow night?” she asks, trying to get a rise out of Ali though she is sincerely interested in the answer.

Swirling her wine around in her glass, Ali finally meets Ashlyn’s eyes. “Like I said, I’m not looking for a relationship. As long as your present when we’re together, which you most certainly are,” she says with a devilish smirk, “I don’t care what you do the other nights.”

“Hmmm,” Ashlyn hums as she ponders their past interactions. She really has seen Ali almost every night she’s been in town since they’ve met. It makes her wonder when Ali has time to see other people. “Do you have a girl back home in D.C.?”

Ali just shrugs. “I have a few people I see occasionally when I head up to D.C. and NYC,” she says nonchalantly. “With my job, I’m here and there and everywhere,” she says, using her hands to portray her point. “My life isn't exactly conducive for being in a relationship.”

“I guess not. You can admit that I give it to you the best though,” Ash says with a smirk, trying to lighten up the conversation. She really doesn’t want it to turn to why _she’s_ single. 

Ali sets her glass down and concentrates on refilling it from the bottle in the ice bucket placed between them. “You’re alright,” Ali supplies offhandedly as she meets Ashlyn’s eyes over the brim of her wine glass.

“That’s not what you were saying yesterday,” Ash challenges as she rubs her foot up Ali’s calf.

A slight blush creeps up Ali’s neck when she remembers exactly what she screamed out when she was on the brink of yet another orgasm. The way she loses herself like that around the blonde is unlike anything she’s experienced, but she won’t let Ash know that. She’s already cocky enough. 

Instead, she challenges her again, hoping it pays off later when Ash tries to prove her wrong. “I mean…I’d say you’re top five. Maybe top three.”

The waitress comes back with their food so there’s no response, but Ali can see by the way Ashlyn’s jaw tightens, after she picks it up from the floor that it’s going to be on later. 

 

“So seeing as your dad owned the Surf Shop before you, I’m assuming that you’re originally from here?” Ali asks as she sets her utensils down after devouring her 16 ounce rib-eye, much to Ashlyn’s delight. She loves a girl who can eat.

Ash nods to buy herself time as she finishes her last bite. “Yeah. Satellite Beach or bust,” she replies with a laugh when she finishes chewing. “What about you? I don’t peg you for a small town beach girl.”

“I was born in Miami, but we moved up to D.C. about fifteen years ago.”

“So how’d you end up in my beautiful town?” Ash asks. “You said when we met you were here for work?”

Ali nods. “Yeah, I needed to get a place here a few years back for work. I won’t lie, I wish I got to spend more time here. It’s so peaceful.”

The light catches Ali’s eyes just right and Ashlyn sees the sparkle in them. For just a moment, she lets herself think about how right and normal this feels. She hasn’t been out on any dates since Kate left her, instead just sleeping around to try to get her mind off the breakup, but she certainly didn’t think her first date would make her feel so content and free.

She smiles and the words, “I wish you spent more time here too,” spill over her lips before she can stop herself. It catches Ali off guard and she leans backward in her chair, but Ash quickly recovers. “You know…so I could work on claiming that top spot,” she adds with a wink.

Ali rolls her eyes and leans forward again. “You’re going to have to put in some work for that one, Harris,” she challenges as the waitress sets the bill on the table and gives Ash a wink and lingering smile.

After slipping two hundred dollar bills into the book, Ali casts her eyes towards Ash who has completely ignored the hot waitresses advances and is instead staring back at her with a pensive, yet smoldering look. She bites her lip as she watches Ash who is deep in thought about everything she’s going to do to Ali to move up her list. 

Suddenly, she doesn’t care that the waitress flirting with her date all night is about to get to get an extremely generous tip if she doesn’t wait for change and she slides her chair back abruptly, drawing several other patron's attention as it shrieks across the ground.

“You coming?” she asks with a smirk.

Ash pushes her chair out and walks around the table. “You will be first,” she says with a wink, giving Ali’s butt a firm squeeze as she slips past her and heads out to the car.


	11. Top Spot

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still not fully recovered from that game yesterday and the fact that I get to see them in the finals! Unreal.
> 
> Anywayss to celebrate here's a chapter of basically all smut. I'm sure you won't mind ;) Next chapter is almost written so hopefully I'll get it up tonight or tomorrow.

"Will you stop that?" Ash says and playfully slaps Ali's hand away which was creeping up her leg.

"What's wrong, stud? Can't handle it?" Ali challenges as she replaces her hand on Ashlyn's leg and grips tighter as she slowly slides it up her thigh.

Ashlyn tries to keep her composure, but when Ali's fingers simultaneously find her belt buckle at the same time her lips find the blonde's exposed neck, Ashlyn knows she's in trouble.

The brunette barely gets Ashlyn's belt undone and pants unzipped before the Jeep is swerving off the road and into the parking lot of an abandoned store front. She immediately gets the hint when Ash hits the brakes and cuts the engine and reaches over with her right hand to recline Ashlyn's seat.

"Just couldn't wait, could ya?" Ali asks as she hovers over Ashlyn and slips her hands underneath the waistband of her pants while also bypassing her underwear.

Ash's hips come up at the sudden pressure that Ali's fingers are applying to her clit. She should have known that Ali wasn't in the mood to tease by her insistence on trying to get into her pants the entire car ride home. 

"Mmm you're so wet for me too, baby," she says sexily as she pulls her fingers out from between Ashlyn's legs and begins sucking on them while maintaining eye contact with Ash the whole time.

She can tell by the rapid rise and fall of her chest and the way her hazel eyes have darkened that the blonde is worked up, not to mention the wetness between her legs. "I can't wait to taste you for real later," she whispers into Ashlyn's ear before stealing her lips in a passionate kiss as she slips her hand back down through Ashlyn's wet folds. 

Ashlyn isn't talking, but her body tells Ali all she needs to know as she sinks two fingers into Ashlyn, loving how easily the blonde takes her in.

"God, you're sexy," Ash manages to get out as she forces her eyes open and takes in the sight before her. Ali's slightly curled hair has formed a halo around her head as she rhythmically works two fingers in and out of her, but there's just enough of a gap where Ashlyn can make out the perfect curve of her breasts through the low cut dress she's wearing.

With the engine off and Ashlyn's increased panting, the car is quickly heating up in the warm Florida night. She can see a single bead of sweat pooling on Ali's forehead as evidence of the work she's putting in to bring her closer to orgasm and Ash quickly leans forward to reverse its path when it falls and begins dripping down her neck. She keeps her lips trained there, pushing Ali's hair back with her hand. 

"Don't stop, baby," Ash gets out breathlessly as she clamps her lips down on Ali's neck, her hands tangled tightly in the brunette's mess of hair. She drops one hand to find Ali underneath her dress, but when Ali begins rubbing her clit with her thumb, she loses all train of thought. "Fuck, Alex!" she screams and her hand flies to the widow to brace herself as the orgasm rips through her body. 

After helping Ash come down, Ali quietly removes her fingers and licks them clean. "You alright to drive?" she asks nonchalantly while leaning back and putting her seat belt on calmly, acting like she didn't just fuck Ash in the middle of an abandoned Rite Aid parking lot.

"Uhh..yeah," Ash replies shakily and slowly raises her seat up. Her legs are still a bit shaky and she can feel her clit pulsing, but she won't let Ali know if. The brunette already has a big enough smirk on her face. "Yeah I'm fine," she says though a cough and quickly zips and buttons her pants back up. "Legs are good."

"Well that's good," Ali says as she stares out the window. "You're going to need them tonight if you're serious about claiming that top spot."

Ash shoots her a narrowed glare before she pulls back out onto the highway. She knows Ali is probably just trying to egg her on, but even so the thought of Ali thinking about someone else giving it to her better won't stop torturing Ash. She wants to be the one Ali thinks about when she's with the other girls and she knows exactly how to do just that.

"I thought we agreed to go back to my place?" Ali asks curiously as Ash makes a turn into the Surf Shop parking lot instead of heading past it to her house.

"I just have to stop and get something my place quick," Ash says before hopping out of the Jeep. 

Not even two minutes later she's jogging back to the vehicle with a small bag. She shrugs when Ali glares at her and wordlessly pulls back out onto A1A and makes the short three mile drive down to Ali's.

When they pull in, she's quick to slip out and make her way around to open the door for Ali and help her down. Again, Ali returns the sweet gesture with a shy smile as she takes Ash's hand and leads her to the front door. 

She unlocks the front door as quickly as she can while Ash has one arm around her waist pulling her close as the other begins massaging her breast, her lips ghosting kisses on Ali's pulse point. 

"Hurry up," Ash mumbles into her neck, her frustration growing by the second.

Finally, Ali is able to manage the composure to unlock her front door, and quickly slips inside pulling Ash behind her. She's barely able to toss her keys onto the front hall desk before Ash has her hands around her ass and is hoisting her up and wrapping her legs around her waist.

"Where is your bedroom?" she gets out as she stumbles into the living room and glances around between the two hallways on either side of the room, trying her best to focus as Ali's hands have worked their way around her shoulders and her lips have found their way to Ashlyn's neck.

"Hallway on the right, second door down," she gets out before biting down on the blonde's neck.

Ash hisses and quickly walks them to Ali's room. She sets her down beside the bed and breaks the contact but only because she wants Ali naked and there was no way she could get the tight dress off the brunette while she was wrapped around her.

"Take that dress off," she husks out as she quickly shucks off her own clothes before turning and digging through the bag she had brought with her. 

Ali smirks as she slides her dress off while watching Ashlyn slip into the harness and tighten the straps. She bends back down to grab a bottle of lube from the side pocket of her backpack, but Ali reaches out and stops her.

"I can help you out with that," she whispers sexily as she puts a hand on Ashlyn's bare chest and slowly walks her back to the bed. With a gentle push, she sends Ashlyn flopping onto the bed on her back.

For a moment Ash is unsure what's happening, until Ali slowly sinks to her knees and slowly licks the end of the strap on. She's not sure if it's how Ali's lips wrap around the shaft, taking it into her mouth inch by inch or the way she's looking up at her so innocently with a coy smirk while she does it, but Ashlyn can immediately feel the wetness pooling between her legs as she watches Ali bob her head back and forth, licking, sucking and teasingly dancing her fingers along it.

"Fuck," she whispers in a cracked, slightly awed voice when she sees Ali swallow and can feel the slight tug, the same tug she feels when Ali tightens and cums around her fingers. She can't control the feelings the image before her so blatantly invoked, and the wetness is now dripping down her legs.

Suddenly as Ali's fingers find her underneath the hilt of the strap on and she lets out a subconscious moan, she realizes that this isn't about her, it's about Ali and claiming that top spot and her on her back watching Ali give her a blowjob in an awestruck state isn't going to help her do that. When Ali pulls her head back again, Ashlyn catches the slight sheen on the dildo and knows it's wet enough. 

She pushes Ali back a bit and without warning lifts her up and flips her onto the bed. Ali's legs are already spread and Ash can see by the devilish smirk on her face that she's ready. As she enters her and feels the way Ali eagerly takes her in like she's used to being stretched, a cocky grin flashes across her face. She bottoms out in Ali, and after she hears the throaty moan that escapes her lips and sees the way her head presses back onto the pillow with a look a pleasure sprawled across her face, she knows one way or another, she wants to be buried inside of the brunette for the rest of the night. 

........

 

A few hours and several mind-blowing orgasms later, Ali lays curled up into Ashlyn's side. She mindlessly traces the patterns of Ashlyn's tattoos on her arm until she feels the blonde smiling down at her.

"What?" she asks as she pulls back and looks up at the still smiling woman. She brushes a few stray hairs out of her face and waits for an answer.

"Did I do it?"

"Do what?" Ali asks with a perplexed expression.

"Get the top spot?" Ash replies inquisitively and Ali can see the pride behind her eyes.

She groans and smacks Ash in the arm. "Is that seriously what you're thinking about right now?"

Ash shrugs and then kisses the top of Ali's head. She can't deny that it really is what she's thinking about. She knows Ali's going to leave again soon and she wants to be the one she thinks about. "Yeah."

Ali shakes her head and looks down at the grinning blonde. She knows the truth will only blow her head up even more, but can't deny her the answer. "Fine. Yes."

Ash sits up quickly and fist pumps with a giddy smile, much the Ali's chagrin. "You just want to be all I think about, huh?" asks the brunette in a teasing tone as she plants a kiss on Ashlyn's lips.

"Maybe," Ash supplies with a nonchalant shrug, but the honesty of the words are housed in the sincere tone she's unable to play off.


	12. Where the Line Gets Drawn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things have been going quasi smooth so far, but the next few chapters will pick up a bit with more of Ali's job and a wee bit of drama. Hope you enjoy!

“What were you up to last night?” Jenna asks as she tosses a case of beer from trunk of her Range Rover to Ash. “You never called me back.”

Ash walks into the building and sets the box down in the fridge. She comes back out, wiping the sweat off of her forehead with the front of her t-shirt. “I had a date,” she mumbles.

“What was that?” Jenna asks with an amused grin.

“I was on a date,” Ash replies, louder this time. “That didn’t end until this very early this morning.”

Jenna just nods with a knowing smile and drops the next case into Ash’s waiting arms. “I see.”

“What’s that look for?” Ash asks when she comes back outside and sees Jenna eyeing her.

Jenna hands Ash another case and then hops down and grabs the last one herself. “Nothing. It seems like you’ve gone on quite a few dates the last few weeks and well…you just…haven’t dated in a while,” she says, phrasing it the nicest way possible.

They make their way into the walk-in fridge and set the cases on the shelf farthest from the door. “I know. I know.”

She thinks back on the past few weeks and how things have progressed. After their first date, they went out for dinner again a few nights later since Ash wanted to treat. And the week after that Ali cooked Ash dinner at her place since she actually had food in her fridge for once, and then Ash obviously had to return the favor so a few days later she did the same. And then the new Jennifer Lawrence movie came out and of course they had to see it and the Food Truck Rodeo had conveniently been right down the street from Ash’s shop the Tuesday after that, so it only made sense to go for a bite to eat when they got out of their steamy shower session after a surf outing.

Ash sighs and bites her lip as she also thinks about how every one of those dates have ended, naked and spent on one of their beds, or couch or office desk. “Don’t get me wrong, Jen,” Ash says, turning to face her friend. “I’m not looking for a relationship and neither is she. But…there’s just something different about this girl. I enjoy spending time with her and we talk back and forth so easily. And obviously she’s really, really good in bed.”

“She’s a woman, not a girl. That’s the difference,” Jenna says with a laugh, referencing some of the wispy college girl’s Ash’s been with during her couple months of freedom that couldn’t hold a conversation for more than a few minutes. “What’s her name again?”

“Ali Krieger,” Ash supplies, shutting and latching the door behind her.

Jenna pauses as she jots some notes down in a ledger book and looks up at Ash. “Krieger…Krieger…That last name sounds kinda familiar. What does she do?”

Ash sheepishly shrugs, immediately anticipating the look she’ll get from Jenna after having been out with Ali a few times and not even knowing what she does. “Not sure. We didn’t talk much about what she does, just that she’s in town often for work.”

After tossing the ledger in the office, Jenna returns and eyes Ash skeptically. “I’m sure you two haven’t _talked much_ ,” she says with a knowing smile, throwing air quotes around ‘talked much’.

Ash tosses a balled up napkin at her with a laugh. “Shut it!” Jenna tosses the napkin back at her, but her laugh ends abruptly when Ash adds, “And for your information, she talks a lot,” with a wink.

“Ew. Jesus, Ash I did not need to know that!” she says, a bit grossed out thinking about what her friend does to get Ali to talk dirty.

With a shrug, Ash goes back to taking stock of the bottles under the bar.

“So are you going to take her on another date soon?” Jenna asks.

Ash pops her head back up from under the bar with a third full bottle of Stoli. “We didn’t talk about it,” she starts and places the bottle on top of the bar. “I’d like to see her again, but neither of us want a relationship and I don’t know where that line gets drawn. Is it by the number of times we go out? Because if so, I think we might be nearing that number. Or is it only if we both stop sleeping with other people? It also could be based off whether I call her to say goodnight or text her something cute in the morning, right?”

Jenna sits back on a bar stool amused. She can clearly see the internal struggle her friend is working through at the moment. “I’m not sure, Ash. I’ve been with Danny for a few years so I haven’t had to navigate the dating waters in quite some time.”

“We’re not dating,” Ash is quick to correct her.

Jenna laughs. “Right. You just take her out, spend a lot of time with her, text all day and bang her. Not dating.”

“We’re not,” Ash says a bit more forcefully, trying to set the record straight even though she knows it’s anything but. To be honest, she can’t wrap her head around what’s been happening between her and Ali lately. All she knows is that she can’t fight the pull she has towards Ali, and judging by the brunette’s eagerness to go out and propensity for unplanned late night visits, she thinks she feels the same.

“Alright. I believe you,” Jenna says with her hands thrown in the air. She’s noticed that Ash hasn’t been going home with girls from the bar much anymore since Ali came into the picture a month ago, but she doesn’t want to mention it.

“Besides she has to go out of town for a bit,” Ash says and the hint of sadness in her voice isn’t missed by Jenna as she wanders to the back door and steps out onto the back patio.

She pats the seat next to her and Ash comes over with a beer in hand for each of them and plops down next to her on one of the benches facing the water. “Have you heard from Kate lately?”

Ash visibly cringes at the mention of the name, but Jenna is only looking out for her like a protective best friend would. She sighs, but knows that Ash needs to deal with her past before she can even attempt to figure out what is going on with Ali.

“There was that one night a few weeks back when a cab dropped her off at 3am completely wasted. She tried to talk to me about things and then when I told her no, stripped naked and tried to seduce me. I sent her home the next morning without talking since I was so pissed. Ali was there with her brother that morning and she pulled this stupid territorial shit. She’s tried to call a few times since then, but I haven’t picked up,” Ash supplies with a curt tone to make it clear she doesn’t want to be having the conversation.

Jenna nods and rests her head on Ashlyn’s shoulder to comfort her. “She’s asked me about you a few times, you know?” Ash quickly pulls away and meets Jenna’s eyes. “I didn’t say much. Just that you were doing alright. I know it’s not my place.”

Ash relaxes a bit and sinks back into the bench. She takes a long pull of her beer before responding. “I just don’t think I can ever forget what she did,” Ash says honestly.

“No one expects you to, Ash. It was fucked up. But I think you should talk to her.”

Ash scoffs. “She doesn’t deserve a chance to explain herself. I don’t owe her anything!” She stands up from the bench and makes her way to the railing of the patio, leaning against it on her forearms.

A moment later Jenna is by her side again, this time placing an arm around Ash’s shoulder so she can’t escape. “You’re right, you don’t owe her anything. But you do owe it to _yourself_. You need to hear her out and either decide you can forgive her or finally be able to let go. I can see it torturing you, Ash. You need to do this for _you_.”

A moment of silence passes between them as Ash ponders it. She polishes off her beer before turning to face Jenna. “I’ll think about it. How about that?”

Jenna knows it’s all she’s going to get from her stubborn friend so she nods. “Deal. Paulie is going to tend bar tonight so want to hit up that new dance club on Coral?”

Ash glances up from her phone with a wide grin. “Huh?” she asks when she catches Jenna looking at her expectantly.

“Want to hit the club tonight?”

“Oh. Um. Ali is leaving tomorrow morning so…”

Jenna lets out a groan and chugs the rest of her beer. “So you’ll be spending time with the girl you’re _not_ dating instead of your best friend who only gets one night off?”

“I see only one of those options getting me laid by a hot brunette. So yeah,” Ash says with a laugh and tries to pull away from Jenna before she gets slapped.

“Are you saying I’m not a hot brunette?” the Colombian woman challenges her with a raised eyebrow.

Ash quickly recovers. “The hottest, Jen. But it still doesn’t solve the getting laid part,” she adds with a chuckle.

“True. Very true. Sorry, Ash but you’re not my type,” she offers with a shrug.

With a wide grin Ash turns to face her friend. “Come on. Even with the dimple?” she teases and points to her perfectly indented cheek.

“I think the dimple and Harris charm might get every girl in Satellite Beach _but_ me,” she says with a laugh. “Nice try though,” she says, patting Ash’s arm jokingly.

“Whatever,” Ash huffs. “I guess I’ll have to settle for having a hot Colombian best friend,” she adds with a laugh before starting to make her way back inside.

“Going to finish the books?” Jenna asks and nods to the office.

“Yeah and then I can take the deposit from last night to the bank. The waves look pretty nice so you should get some rides in.”

Jenna shrugs as she casts a glance towards the ocean. “Maybe I will.” She makes her way to the office, leaning against the door frame as Ash starts sorting through receipts. She sees a big circle on the calendar and smiles. 

“You ready for your meeting with the bank next week?” she asks, knowing how excited Ash has been about it.

She nods but doesn’t look up from her work. “Yup. Hopefully I can pull it off.”

“You’ll do great, Ash. I’m going to head out, but give me a call if you need anything.”

“Sure thing!” Ash says.

Jenna gives her a quick hug from behind. “Have fun tonight.”

“Oh I will,” Ash replies immediately, a mischievous grin spreading across her lips.


	13. Something Like That

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the last chapter before I head up to Canada! Finally get a little back story into Ali's life as things heat up between them. It jumps around on time and location a bit, but I think you'll be able to pick up it. Hope you all enjoy and let me know what you think! 
> 
> GO USA!!!!

“So how long are you leaving me for this time?” Ash asks as she plants a kiss on Ali’s temple as they’re lying tangled in the sheets in Ali’s bed the night before she leaves for D.C.

Ali just snuggles in closer and sighs. “For a week. Why? You going to miss me?” she asks, pulling back to meet Ash’s eyes.

The blonde just shrugs, not wanting to give up her true feelings. “I’m just wondering how long I have to go without seeing my favorite.”

“Aw, I’m you’re favorite?” Ali responds cheekily, feigning being touched by the blonde’s words.

“Actually I was talking about this super nice ass you have,” she says with a chuckle as she gives Ali’s bare butt a firm squeeze. "That's definitely what I'm going to miss the most."

Ali groans and rolls away from the blonde. “You’re impossible,” she says with a small laugh.

Though Ali is facing away from her scrolling through her phone at the moment, Ash can sense a slight inflection in her voice that catches her off guard. _Does she want to be my favorite?_ She decides to push the waters a bit to see where Ali is at. “So,” she begins, rolling over to pull Ali into her front so she's spooning her. “Are we allowed to talk while you’re gone or is that against the rules here?” she asks while planting light kisses on Ali’s shoulder and neck.

“We have rules?” Ali asks as she scoots back into Ashlyn and turns a bit so her neck is more exposed.

“Kind of,” Ash says as she slides her hand around and softly begins massaging Ali’s breast. “You go away and we don’t talk. You come home and we fuck.”

Ali lets out a slight giggle. “Those are the rules, huh?” she asks, turning all the way around so she’s now face to face with Ash.

With her hands now on Ali’s ass, she nods. “That’s pretty much what we’ve been doing,” she says with a shrug. She knows there’s a reason they don’t talk when Ali’s gone. It’s because they both see other people when the other is away and are too stubborn to give in and admit they miss each other. Ash knows who she would rather spend all her nights with though.

“Ash, it’s not a rule that we can’t talk when I’m gone,” she says with a small chuckle. Even though that’s what has happened in the past, calling it a rule seems absurd to Ali.

“You sure? You don’t think it will make things…weird?” Ash asks cautiously.

Ali pulls Ash into a kiss and deepens it to give herself time to think. However, as usual she get’s lost in Ash’s touch and before she knows it, her leg is thrown over the blonde’s hip and Ash has slipped two fingers into her. They continue to kiss deeply, Ali nipping at Ashlyn’s bottom lip as the blonde works her toward yet another orgasm.

Ali can feel it building inside her, but this time it feels different. There seems to be more weight behind it all and Ash seems to be trying to convey something to her with each gentle thrust into her. It’s not fiery and hot this time, she seems more tender and passionate. And as Ali rolls onto her back and gives in to the waves of euphoria rippling through her entire body, she doesn’t think she minds one bit.

Ash can immediately sense something different in the air between them as Ali lays on her back, quiet with her eyes closed. “You okay, beautiful?” she asks and wipes some stray hairs out of Ali’s sweaty, flushed face.

Ali just nods and when she slowly opens her eyes, she’s meet with trepidation in Ashlyn’s. “Yeah. That was nice,” she says softly and pulls Ash in for a light kiss. “I’m just tired, sorry,” she says as she tries to hold in a yawn.

Ash knows the deal and smiles. “I’ll get going then and let you get some sleep,” she says and goes to slip out of bed to search for her clothes. Also another rule, they never had sleepovers. No matter how late it was, the other woman always headed home when things cooled off.

“Stay,” Ali says softly and reaches across the bed to lightly grab Ashlyn’s wrist.

Ash turns back towards her with a hopeful, yet hesitant expression. “Are you sure?”

Ali just nods and then tugs on Ashlyn's wrist until the blonde is again lying vertical in the bed on her back. She scoots over and snuggles into Ashlyn’s side, resting her head on the blonde’s shoulder. “I’m sure,” she whispers as she drifts off to sleep in the blonde’s arms.

 

……..

 

“How was your night?” Jenna asks as Ash paddles back towards her.

“Good,” Ash smiles and this time Jenna can sense something different. It’s not the usual, ‘I had great sex’ smirk that she’s come accustomed to seeing, it’s a lighter and genuinely happy smile.

“What’s got you smiling so big?” she asks.

Ash just shrugs and spins her board around so she’s facing the beach. “Nothing. Last night just felt…different,” she says and it’s obvious she’s deep in thought.

“How so?” Jenna inquires, her intrigue piqued.

“Well for starters she asked me to stay over,” Ash begins.

“Really now?” Jenna asks with a raised eyebrow. She knows Ash isn’t a big fan of sleepovers, but this time she seems actually pleased about it.

“Yeah. And she texted me when she landed this morning and a few times in between her meetings.”

Jenna is now very surprised at the sudden change in her best friend. Ash went from committed relationship, to absolutely no strings attached, no commitment, to now being overly enthusiastic about sleepovers and daily text conversations. She wonders if Ash notices the change herself and decides to press a bit. “Still not dating though, right?” she asks skeptically.

Ash eyes her and then breaks into a small, hopeful smile. “No. Not yet.” 

 

……..

 

“Alexandra! It’s so good to see you!”

“It’s nice to see you too, dad,” she says with a warm smile as she is wrapped up in her father’s tight hug. They break apart and he pulls back her chair for her to take a seat. “Thank you,” she offers and slides into the chair, smoothing her dress out as she does.

“So how is Florida treating you?” he asks as he picks up his leather-bound menu and begins perusing it.

Ali takes a sip of the Chardonnay her father ordered before doing the same. “It’s nice. The weather is great and the people have been welcoming.”

“Those crazy townies aren’t giving you too much hassle are they?” he asks over the brim of his menu.

Ali shakes her head and keeps the blush from flooding up her cheeks as she thinks of a certain crazy townie that she loves being hassled by. “Not at all. No one even really knows who I am down there,” she says with a small laugh.

“That will all change soon, Alex,” he replies in a serious tone.

Ali just shakes her head in disbelief. “I doubt it.”

Ken sets down his menu and levels his eyes with Ali who does the same. “I mean it, Alexandra. If you stick to the plan, everything is going to fall into place. Just think of where you’ll be, five years from now, even ten. You’ve started your career so much earlier than mine so just imagine where you could go in life. Think of the influence you’ll have.”

“Is it really influence if I’m just doing everyone else’s bidding?” she challenges, a bit irked at how her whole life has apparently been planned out for her without her input. Her recent time in Satellite Beach has really made her question her life course and decisions.

“Alex, where is this coming from? I thought we were all on the same page here?” Ken asks, picking his menu back up and flipping through the pages to the Scotch menu. Apparently he was going to need some for this conversation with the way it was headed.

“As long as the same page is your page that’s all that matters, right Senator?” she asks evenly, trying to hold back her disdain for the situation. 

Just then the waiter comes over for their orders and Ali is saved from her father’s poignant response.

 

…….

 

Ashlyn smiles when her phone starts ringing. “Hey you,” she says, quickly answering it as parks her Jeep in front of the old, red brick building.

“Hey,” Ali says softly from the other line. She immediately feels a wave of comfort when she hears Ashlyn’s voice. “I miss you.”

“What’s wrong?” Ash replies, immediately focusing on her sad tone more than her confession that she missed her.

“Lunch with my father,” Ali forces a laugh.

“Ah I see. What happened?”

“He just…he apparently has my life planned out for me and I guess I don’t have a say in it. I just have to be ‘the good girl’ and do what I’m told.”

Ash nods on her end. “Family business stuff?” Ash assumes.

“Something like that,” she begins. Suddenly, she doesn’t care. She doesn’t care about the life laid out for her, doesn’t care about keeping her secrets from the public and most certainly, from Ash. She knows it might be hard for Ash to hear, considering the circumstances, but she needs to tell her. She needs to free herself from the guilt. “Ash I need to tell you someth-” she begins, but is quickly cut off.

“Ali, I’m actually at the bank for a meeting about a loan. Can I call you back?”

Ali nods, but immediately feels defeated. “Of course. Good luck, okay?”

“Thanks beautiful,” Ash replies with a genuine smile before hanging up the phone. She slips out of the Jeep with her files in hand and wanders into the bank.

 

Twenty minutes later, she’s sitting there fuming. “I just don’t understand. The plan is here. I'd be signing over the building as collateral. There’s no reason for you to withhold funds!” she says exasperatedly. Her last ditch effort to save the shop is falling through and she's losing faith. 

“Ms. Harris you have to understand this a volatile market we’re in and history is a big indicator. The Surf Shop closed last time around because it couldn’t afford to pay the bills. With the upcoming tax vote, the chances of them increasing are even more likely. That on top of the new large scale stores that are flooding the markets is just too much to worry about. The bank simply can’t take that risk at the moment. I’m so sorry.”

The old man rejecting her loan is so polite, but Ashlyn still can’t help the anger flowing through her veins. “This shop is everything to me and was everything to my father. You know that Pete,” she says, pleading with the man who she knows her father was good friends with.

Pete’s gray eyes soften a bit at the mention of his friend who had passed. “Ashlyn, you know if there was anything I could do, I would. Your father was a good man and I see a lot of you in him. I just, I can’t make this loan happen right now. Maybe if the new bill doesn’t go through and things settle down a bit we can talk again in a few months.”

Ash just shakes her head and quickly gathers up all of her documents. “Thanks for nothing Pete,” she grumbles and storms out of the bank.


	14. Hey Trouble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still have no voice from that game last night. It was absolutely amazing!!!! 
> 
> Anywayssss here's an update. Smut and finally some drama.. Both of which you all hate, right? Lol. Enjoy!!

It’s late when Ali finally gets a call back from Ash, but she answers it quickly. “Hey trouble,” she says, her voice low and sultry.

Ash can immediately sense what Ali is getting at and decides to table her bad news for later and give her what she’s looking for. “How’s my sexy girl doing?” she growls into the phone as she leans back against her headboard and get’s comfortable.

“Just missing you,” Ali replies coyly, ignoring the fact that Ashlyn called her ‘her girl’. That can be addressed later. “What are you up to?”

“Just lying in my bed missing you.”

Ali smirks, glad that Ash is playing along. She decides to push her boundaries. “What do you miss about me?”

“I miss your smile and the way your kiss sets me on fire,” she replies honestly.

Ali settles under the covers just as a text pops up.

**Julie: Hey pretty lady! We still on for tonight? I can head over in ten so you better be naked and waiting ;)**

She debates her options for a moment before typing out a reply and hitting send. “Sorry I had to reply to a text,” she offers quickly when she realizes Ash has been waiting for a response.

“One of your booty calls looking for some action?” Ash asks as she notes how late it is. She tries to sound playful in her teasing and hopes Ali doesn’t catch the slight resentment in her voice. “I can let you go if you need,” she offers, but wants anything but.

“Nope. I’m all yours…tonight,” she adds quickly. “So why don’t you tell me what you’d be doing to me if I was there?”

_It’s on_ , Ash smirks. At least something will get her mind off the bad news from earlier. “Well first, I would kiss you lightly," she begins with a soft tone and lets the words sink in for a moment before continuing. "And then I would deepen it and slip my tongue into your mouth. I’d let you think you were in control for just a minute, but then I’d set things straight and put you on your back and settle on top of you while grinding my leg between your thighs.”

“Mmmm, yeah?” Ali hums as the mental image plays in her mind.

“Yeah and then when you started getting worked up I’d slip my hand under your shirt and begin massaging your perfect breasts. Can you do that for me, baby?” she asks as her own hand slips down to the waistband of her shorts.

Ali’s hand pushes up her shirt and she begins fondling her breast, imaging it was Ashlyn's fingers ghosting over her nipples instead of her own. “Yeah baby," she sighs. "Then what?”

"Well then you’d bite my lip and I’d know you were really starting to lose it so I’d pull your shirt over your head, followed by your bra and I’d start kissing down your neck.”

“And sucking on that spot that drives me crazy?” Ali interjects, replaying one of their more recent nights together in her mind.

“Of course. I’d spend a minute there until you were squirming under me, begging for me to touch you.”

“You like it when I beg?” Ali challenges.

“Oh yeah,” Ash says and slides her fingers into her boy shorts and begins rubbing her clit. “So once you’re begging me for it, I’d slide your pants down and start teasing you over your underwear knowing you’re already so wet for me.”

Ali follows Ash's lead and runs her fingers under her shorts and bites back a smile at the fact that even though she’s thousands of miles away, Ash knows her body so well. “Mmm you’re right. I am so wet for you,” Ali says in a soft voice as she rubs circles over her clit.

Ash sucks in a breath of air at the thought and dips a finger into her own center. “Yeah, baby? Well once I knew you were nice and wet I’d pull your panties down and tease you a bit more.”

“Please, Ashlyn,” Ali begs, knowing it’s exactly what the blonde wants.

“Please what?” Ash prods as she sinks another finger into herself and lets out a soft gasp.

Her breath hitches and Ali feels a shock wave ripple through her as she thinks about Ashlyn pleasuring herself. “Please fuck me like you’re fucking yourself,” she says in a husky tone that Ash feels between her legs.

“I would. I would slip two fingers deep into you and then pull them out slowly while you got used to them. And then when you grabbed my neck and pulled me in for a hot kiss, I would drive them back into your soaking wet pussy, over and over while rubbing my thumb over your swollen clit. You like that baby?” Ash pants as she works herself towards an orgasm.

“Yes,” Ali moans out as she slips her fingers in and out of herself, imaging they were Ashlyn's long, experienced fingers instead. “I love feeling you inside me,” Ali adds as she strokes her clit with her other hand. “You feel so good.”

“I want you to cum for me, Alexandra,” Ash says as she holds herself off. She wants her release with Ali.

“I’m close,” Ali gets out, as she begins panting louder. “Fuck, Ashlyn,” she says. “Fuck.”

Ashlyn can sense Ali has tipped over the edge by her high pitched moans and the sound of Ali finishing herself is quick to send Ashlyn spiraling into an orgasm as well.

They both lay panting on their separate beds, wishing they weren’t thousands of miles apart.

“I really miss you,” Ash whispers sincerely in her vulnerable state.

Ali can sense there’s more to it. “I miss you too.” As the words come out of her mouth, she realizes just how true the words are.

She doesn’t just miss what Ashlyn can do to her body, she misses everything about her. The way her dimple shows whenever she smiles big, how her booming laugh can fill up a room, how dedicated and loyal she is to her friends and how even though Ali knows they’ve never defined their ‘relationship’, Ash doesn’t just treat her like another random hookup.

“The bank said no.” The words rush out of Ashlyn’s mouth before she thought about the implications. She may or may not have just ruined her moment of truth with Ali, but she couldn’t help herself. She trusts Ali and at the moment needed her emotionally, not just physically.

“Aw, Ash. I’m sorry,” Ali offers and sits up a bit in bed.

“They said the market is too volatile and these new tax regulations that are going to be passed are going to be bad news for small businesses. I just…I don’t get it,” she says, her tone defeated and hopeless.

It breaks Ali’s heart and she knows she can’t hide the truth any longer. She can’t hide her true feelings for the blonde from herself, and she can’t hide her true self from Ashlyn any longer. “Ash, I need to tel-”

“Hold on, Ali,” Ash cuts her off and slips out of bed. “Jenna just got here,” she adds as she peers out her bedroom window and sees Jenna’s Range Rover parked out front of the shop. “She’s taking me to the bar for drinks to get my mind off it all. Can we talk tomorrow?”

“I come back tomorrow,” Ali says. She knows having this conversation with Ashlyn will be even harder in person when she has to look her in the eyes.

“Even better,” Ash perks up at the thought of Ali being back in her arms. “I can’t wait to see you.”

“Me too. Have fun with Jenna,” Ali says evenly. “Text me when you get in.”

“Will do. Sleep tight, Alex.”

 

…….

 

“Those assholes!” Jenna says angrily as she lets her shot glass hit the bar top. “Seriously?”

Ash just shrugs. “I get it from the bank's standpoint,” she reasons. “I just don’t understand everything else. Whatever happened to the American Dream?” she asks with a wry laugh.

“Dead and gone,” Jenna says with a commiserating grin. As a bar owner, she knows all too well the struggles Ash is going through.

“Hey can you turn that up?” an older man sitting a few stools down from Ashlyn asks, pointing to the TV screen that hung above the bar.

Jenna turns and sees it’s the local news that’s on and rolls her eyes. The last thing she wants is to hear that blasting loudly, but it’s a Tuesday night at 11pm and he’s the only one in the bar besides them at this point. “Sure,” she says and turns the volume up on the TV loud enough for him to hear.

“Thanks,” he says with a nod. “They’re doing a spot on that dime piece Congresswoman,” he says and wags his eyebrows.

Ash just rolls her eyes, but keeps them trained on the bar top in front of her. It’s getting late and she’s tipsy and just wants to go home.

“Hey, isn’t that…” Jenna begins as she sees a familiar face on the screen, but doesn’t need to finish her sentence as Ashlyn’s ears immediately perk up at the mention of the name.

“Congresswoman Alexandra Krieger out of Florida’s 8th District attended the House of Representative session today to discuss her party's take on the new tax bill. Under Krieger’s guidance, the majority party is looking to get a bill through which will effectively provide millions of dollars in tax cuts to big businesses...”

Jenna doesn’t even have time to turn off the TV before Ash slams down her beer. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” she seethes, the hurt in her voice more evident than anger.

“Ash, wait,” Jenna begins, but it’s too late. 

Ash is already storming out the front door with clenched fists and tears streaming down her face.


	15. Tell Me What?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Four hours on a plane let me write this one! Shits hitting the fan now. How do you think it played out??

The mixture of excitement and nerves coursing through Ali’s body is unsettling. On one hand, she’s excited to see Ashlyn, but she knows what comes with the reunion. The truth. The truth that she never thought she would need to reveal to a casual fuck buddy was now eating away at her, as was her desire to have more with Ashlyn. Another thought that terrified her entirely.

As the plane touches down on the runway at the Melbourne Airport and she clicks on her phone, her apprehension only grows when she sees that Ashlyn hasn’t texted her back. They had talked a few nights ago about Ashlyn picking her up from the airport, but there’s no confirmation text from the blonde and she hasn’t heard from her since their steamy phone call the previous night right before Ash headed to the bar with Jenna. The last message in the conversation from her, reading: **Hey I land at 11am. You can still get me right? I promise I’ll make it worth it for you ;)**

“Everything alright, Alexandra?” asks Eli as he makes his way down the aisle and notes her slight frown.

She quickly clicks her phone off and nods. If Ash went to the bar with Jenna she was still probably passed out in bed. “Of course. Can you call the car service? I need a ride home.”

Eli smiles in return. “I already had them here on standby since you did not drive yourself here,” he says politely. “Doug will be in the front waiting.”

“Perfect. Thank you,” Ali says graciously, already thinking of how she can bribe Doug not to tell Eli that she didn’t get dropped off at her own house. She makes her way down the steps of the private jet onto the hot tarmac, where as usual, the Black Mercedes sedan is parked and waiting.

“Welcome back Ms. Krieger,” says Doug, dressed in black slacks and a short sleeve white button up.

“Thank you, Doug. It’s certainly good to be back,” she says with a smile as she slides into the leather covered backseat.

Doug shuts the door softly behind her and then makes his way over to slip into the driver’s seat. “How was the trip?” he asks as they pull off the tarmac and onto the main road.

“Frustrating,” Ali says candidly. She’s quickly realizing she doesn’t care what anyone thinks of her anymore, and especially doesn’t care what get’s back to Eli.

“Well I’m sorry to hear that,” he replies, but doesn’t pry more. He knows it’s not his place.

“Doug, can you do me a favor?” she asks after a few moments of silence.

The man nods and looks back at her through the rearview mirror. “Of course, Ms. Krieger. That’s my job,” he replies with a slight chuckle.

“Can you drop me off at 24 Sunrise Ave? It’s right off A1A.”

“Of course,” comes his response with no further prodding.

When they pull up at the address ten minutes later, Doug scans the area. “Would you like me to wait?”

Ali shakes her head and slips out of the backseat with a smile on her face when she sees a familiar car parked. “That won’t be necessary. If you could take my bags to my house though I would appreciate it. You know where the key is.”

The driver nods and then pulls away, back onto A1A, leaving Ali standing in the parking lot of the Surf Shop. She carefully makes her way over to the door making sure not to stumble in her heels on the uneven gravel terrain. The door is unlocked and she pulls it open before stepping over the threshold and into the store.

“Ash?” she calls out as she makes her way up the stairs when she found no trace of the blonde in the store. When she pushes open the bedroom door she’s met with her favorite face. “Hey you!” she says excitedly, but her smile quickly drops when she sees Ashlyn’s face.

It’s not happy nor excited, instead housing a pain and anger that Ali hasn’t seen present ever before. She’s confused, but only for a moment before Ash walks away from her and grabs something off the kitchen table. She catches the fluttering pages thrown at her with a confused expression, but it immediately clears up when she sees the front page of the Business section of the newspaper.

“Ash,” she whispers as her eyes grow wide at the headline. **Krieger at War with Small Business**.“It’s not what you thin-”

“Get out,” Ash says harshly, her jaw set and eyes emotionless.

“Ash please,” Ali says quietly as she drops the paper and tries to close the gap between them.

“Get. Out. Now.” Ash replies, but firmer this time. She can’t even bear to look Ali in the eye after everything she had found out and takes a step back.

“Can I just talk to you for a second?” Ali says, now frustrated that Ashlyn isn’t even giving her a chance to explain. She’s used to being dismissed in her profession, but usually not without being able to speak first.

Ashlyn takes another step back from Ali and crosses her arms over her chest. “What is there to talk about, Alex?” she says coldly while leaning back against the kitchen table. “What could you possibly say to make this any better? You lead me on, you lied to me, and you most certainly are not the person I   
thought you were!”

“I never lied to you!” Ali yells in a volume that matches Ashlyn’s, but she immediately regrets it when she sees another level of anger flicker through her usually soft hazel eyes.

A cold laugh escapes from the blonde’s lips as she pushes off the table and walks towards Ali. “Right. You never lied. You just _forgot_ to mention that you’re millionaire Senator Ken Krieger’s daughter who happens to be a Congresswoman in the House of Representatives. The same Congresswoman that pushed through the tax bill two years ago giving big business a cushy tax break while shitting on everyone else. Do you know how many people had to close up their businesses around here because of that? People that had owned them for generations. People like me and my family!”

Ali’s defensive stance has immediately shifted. She now looks defeated and unsure of herself for the first time as the blonde unleashes her tirade. “No I guess not,” Ash continues. “I guess as long as the people cutting your checks are happy, then there’s nothing to worry about, right? No one worth caring about on the other side, huh?”

“It’s not like that,” Ali mumbles, but she’s lost the fight already and she knows it.

“Well it sure as hell looks like that,” Ash says curtly.

“I’m sorry, Ash. I tried to tell you last night and I came here to tell you that I…”

“Tell me what?” Ash says in an incredulous tone, cutting her off. “That you’re sorry you have no backbone? That it isn’t your fault the bill went through two years ago because you were just ‘being a good girl’ and following daddy’s orders? Well news flash, no one likes a fucking good girl. Your ‘constituents’, if we even matter, want someone who actually cares about the people around here and you don’t care about anyone but yourself.”

When Ali looks up with sad, pleading eyes Ash just shakes her head and bites her cheek to keep her thoughts in check. Ali doesn’t even have a response. She isn’t disputing anything and Ash has had enough heartbreak in her life already. It's time to cut her losses before it gets any worse. “Get out, Alex. Please," she whispers softly in a pleading tone.

The way Ashlyn’s voice cracks at the end of her sentence makes Ali’s heart clinch, but she simply hangs her head and lets out a sigh. “I’m sorry,” she whispers before turning and retreating down the stairs.

“Damn it!” Ali screams as she slams the shop door closed behind her. 

Once outside she remembers that she didn’t drive there and the tears she had withheld upstairs now begin streaming down her face. She can’t get the pained expression on Ashlyn’s face out of her mind and it kills her to know that she is the cause behind that pain and hurt. She had shown up ready to come clean and bare her soul to Ashlyn, to tell her the truth and how much she felt for her, but it was too late. She lost her before she even had a chance to call her her own. 

As she stands by herself in the parking lot of the blonde’s shop, tears streaming down her face, she realizes just how alone she is.


	16. Forget It

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the comments and feedback! I really do enjoy interacting with you all :)

Jenna squeezes Ash’s hand as she pulls up at the Surf Shop to drop her off. It’s been a week since she ended things with Ali and it was harder than she thought it would be. See can definitely see the change in her friend not just from her depressed personality, but also physically in her paler complexion and tired eyes. She’s seen this before, when Kate left her and knows that her best friend is struggling.

“Hang in there, Ash,” Jenna says while pulling the blonde towards her and wrapping her in a hug as best she can over the center console. “It’ll get better.”

“I’m not even sure what better looks like anymore,” Ash replies in a sad, defeated tone. She thought returning to her old ways would help her get her mind off the brunette, but it’s only making her true feelings more apparent. She can barely be around another woman without her thoughts drifting to Ali. As much as she wants to try and forget her, she can’t shake the thoughts from eating away at her mind.

Jenna doesn’t even know how to reply, so she just kisses the top of Ashlyn’s head and then leans back into her seat. “Well, I’ll be here for you no matter what. You’re not getting rid of me!”

Ash lets out a small laugh, but they both know it’s forced by the pained expression on her face. “Thanks Jen. I don’t know what I’d do without.”

“And you’ll never have to find out,” her friend replies sincerely with a comforting smile. “Now get out of here. Looks like you have a customer.” She nods to the front door of the store where someone is leaning against the door frame with their arms folded, an impatient look spread across their face.

Ash immediately recognizes who it is and groans. “This will be a fun one to deal with,” she grumbles while pushing open the car door. “Thanks again for lunch, Jen. I’ll see you later.”

Jenna nods with a skeptical expression, but figures she’ll get the full story from her friend later that night at the bar. “See ya!” she calls out before Ash shuts the door soundly behind her.

“Kyle, right?” she says as she walks towards the man leaning against her shop while fumbling through her key ring to find the right one.

“Ah, good memory,” he replies jovially with a wink. As Ash pulls open the door he goes to follow her in, but is stopped abruptly when Ash turns to face him before he steps over the threshold into the shop.

She looks him up and down before asking, “Is there something I can help you with?”

Kyle pauses and his brow furrows as he takes in her somewhat rude tone. “Um, I came to talk to you about something.”

“I told Alex to stay away. God she’s so selfish. What makes her think if I didn’t want to hear it from her that I would want to hear it from you!” She rubs her eyes in her palms and lets out a frustrated sigh. She’s really not in the mood for this right now.

“Uh, I’m aware that something happened between you and my sister, but that’s not even why I’m here to talk to you. I can promise you one thing though. She is the least selfish person I’ve ever met.” He knows his tone is a bit blunt, but he’s as protective of his baby sister as Ali is of him. He owes her his life after all.

“I don’t need this.” She’s sick of everyone defending the people that have hurt her. After bad hand after bad hand was dealt her way, she wishes someone would just be on her side for once. “Can you just leave please?”

The rational side of Kyle knows it’s in his best interest to leave as Ash is clearly getting aggravated by his presence, but the emotional side knows he needs to set Ashlyn straight. Whatever happened between Ash and his sister aside, he knows who Ali really is and the person Ashlyn is making her out to be couldn’t be farther from the truth. “For what it’s worth, I didn’t come here on behalf of Ali. But I guess your attitude towards her explains why she locked herself in her house all week.”

He gets three steps towards his car before he hears the blonde call his name. He turns and looks at her expectantly, but doesn’t close the distance between them.

“What do you mean?” Ashlyn asks, unable to hide the curiosity in her voice. She knows it shouldn’t matter, that what Ali did is unforgivable, but her heart is outweighing her brain at the moment.

“Today was supposed to be our day out together, but she won’t even leave the house because she’s so upset. She’s just been on the phone all week.”

Ash misses the part where Kyle says Ali is upset and just focuses on the part where she’s just been on the phone. It annoys her that Ali isn’t even bothered by it and is just going on with daily business. “Why are you even here?”

He points to the door. “Can I come in at least?”

With a sigh Ash nods. She just hopes by letting one Krieger in, she isn’t unknowingly letting the other back in too. “So what’s up?” she asks in an annoyed tone as she slides her butt onto the front counter.

“I had a proposal for you. Well, Ali and I have been working on it for a while actually, months even, but obviously you won’t talk to her so I’m here.”

“And?” Ash asks with a renewed sense of interest.

“She wants to start a surf program for the Satellite Beach Drug and Alcohol Rehab Facility over on Palmetto Avenue. A lot of the patients are from the West Coast and it’d be a really good therapy and relaxation source for them. The facility would cover some of the costs and the other portion would be covered by a local government grant so you would be fully compensated. It’s obviously not a guarantee and there’d be a lot of red tape to get through, but she really thinks the Surf Shop could be a good candidate for it and would help you to have a regular supply of income. The state would actually pay pretty well. If this program works, then there’s the potential of expanding it to include other treatment facilities in the area as well.”

“I don’t see how she gets a check cut out of this idea,” she replies coldly. The idea seems nice, but falls along the lines of ‘too good to be true’ in her opinion. “Why would miss big business care about a bunch of crazy drug addicts?” she asks with an attitude, her own anger towards Ali clouding her usually good nature.

Kyle’s face hardens a bit and his excited smile drops. Maybe the blonde wasn’t who Ali thought _she_ was. “Because I’m one of those crazy _recovering_ drug addicts staying at the facility,” he says with a straight face, holding in the anger threatening to spill out. “You know what? Forget it.” He shakes his head disappointedly and turns to leave.

Before he slams the door of the shop behind him, he turns and faces Ashlyn. “You think you know her, but you don’t. Not at all. And I’m not so sure you even deserve to anymore.” With that, he slips out of the front door and leaves a confused Ashlyn standing there trying to process everything that happened.


	17. Brotherly Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Brothers to the rescue!! Lol. Glad you guys are enjoying so far :)

“What’d she say, Kyle?” Ali asks from the other end of the line.

The hopeful tone is evident in her voice and it nearly breaks Kyle. After all she’s done for him, he just wishes he could fix all of this for her. Despite her cold words towards him earlier, he knows there’s something different about Ashlyn by the pleading hopefulness in Ali's voice and honestly just wants his baby sister to be happy. It’s something that she’s been unable to obtain despite her privileged upbringing and high social status.

“She…uh she said she’d think about it.” He carefully chooses to leave out the part where she unknowingly called him a crazy drug addict, knowing it was something that would immediately set Ali off. He’s trying to fix things, not mess them up even more.

“Well at least it’s not a no,” she says dejectedly as she slumps down on her couch, ignoring the papers and lists that have piled up around her living room. She has an office down the hall, but the staunch business feel of the leather and rich oak trimmings left her feeling unsettled. It only served as a constant reminder of what she _didn’t_ want. So for now, it’s the couch that has become her working space.

“I’ve got to fix this, Kyle. She’s right. I can’t just sit here and follow the path laid out for me. It’s not right and it’s not even what I want. It never was.”

Kyle can hear the determination in her voice as he settles back onto his bed, thankful that his roommate is at the on-site gym so he can have some privacy for the moment. Alone time is often something that’s hard to come by at the rehab facility and Kyle appreciates any that he gets. “Have you tried talking to her at all?”

“She won’t answer any of my calls or texts. I’ve tried, Kyle. Maybe she just needs more time?”

He thinks on it for a moment and sighs. Judging from the evident hurt in Ashlyn’s eyes, he knows this won’t be a simple fix and that time most likely won’t do much to mend things. “You should try seeing her again. It’s been a week. Maybe me talking to her today opened some things up, ya know?”

Ali nods. It makes sense and she honestly doesn’t see many other options. She just needs Ash to let her explain things. It might not fix everything, but it couldn’t hurt. “Yeah, maybe I’ll try later tonight.”

Kyle nods in affirmation even though he knows Ali can’t see it, happy that he at least was able to get through to her. The distressed look on Ashlyn’s pale face had let him know just how much she really did care for his sister. Though he knew Ali wasn’t the relationship type with her hectic schedule, he could see that his sister felt the same way about Ashlyn. This was different for both of them; it was just going to take some prodding for them to finally see it. “That’s a good idea. Just explain your side and see where it goes. Obviously she’s still going to be upset, but maybe hearing your side of things will at least get her thinking. If you really care about her she deserves the truth. The whole truth.”

“I know, Kyle. I know. I just wish she could have gotten it from me first instead of seeing that stupid newspaper,” she grumbles, annoyed at the poor timing. Then again her life has never been filled with great timing, at least in her opinion.

“I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you. You’re a smart girl, I’m sure you’ll find a way to help her understand.”

Ali lets out a long sigh, finally feeling some of the stress lift off her shoulders at her brother’s pep talk. “Thanks again, Kyle.”

“Hey, anything for you, Alex. A little brotherly love never hurt anyone and besides, I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for you. I love you.”

Ali smiles, genuinely for the first time in a week. “I love you too, Kyle.”

 

…….

 

“Wow. You’re an asshole,” Chris says with a disbelieving expression as Ashlyn relays her conversation with Kyle to him while they walk down the beach after having just eaten lunch. It’s a weekday and out of tourist season and the Harris siblings relish being able to roam the beach mostly undisturbed.

Ash playfully smacks his arm, but there’s a bit more force to it than she intends. “ _I’m_ the asshole?” she asks incredulously, amazed, but more so irritated that Chris thought she was the one to blame after all of this.

“You called the dude a crazy drug addict!” he exclaims and throws his hands in the air. He knows his sister doesn’t talk like that to people and he’s more so shocked than anything. “Whether you hate his sister or not, that’s cold.”

Ash casts her eyes out to the calming ocean water as she sips on her coke through the bent red and white straw poking out from the top. “I didn’t know,” is all she supplies, but she’s not really focusing on the conversation much. Her attention has been drawn out to a couple young teenagers attempting to surf a few hundred yards out in the open water.

“You should do it, Ash.”

“Do what?” she asks, as she’s pulled from her trance before tossing her empty soda into the trash receptacle beside her.

“Take her up on that offer. It’s a great opportunity for you and maybe it can finally get the Surf Shop back where it needs to be.” He halts and turns towards her to gauge her reaction.

Ash just shrugs and settles her eyes on the ground, unable to meet Chris’s gaze. “I don’t want or need anything from her.”

Her tone is cold, but Chris knows there’s more hurt there than anger. “You need to talk to her.”

At this command, Ash rips her eyes from the wooden boardwalk and glares back at her brother who seems a bit startled by her sudden reaction. “Excuse me? I don’t _need_ to do anything with her.”

Chris sighs and pokes Ash in the arm annoyingly until she meets his gaze again, albeit with an aloof expression. “Don’t let this turn into another Kate situation. You get wronged by someone and you just always run away, Ash. Sometimes people make mistakes. You need to be able to forgive them.”

“You honestly think either of them deserves another chance?” she asks in complete disbelief, her tone matching the unconvinced expression on her lightly freckled face. She always thought her brother would be on her side, but as the conversation draws on she’s feeling less and less like that’s the truth.

Chris throws his hands in the air and leans back a bit to increase the distance that an irritated Ashlyn had quickly closed. “Whoa, I’m not saying either of them deserves a second chance, but you need to let the anger go, Ash. How can you do that if you won’t even let anyone explain themselves? You’ve been harboring the hatred towards Kate for months and now with Ali who knows how long that’ll last. I’m not saying you need to date anyone, but an explanation can’t hurt can it? Maybe it will help you let go easier.”

As Ash looks out over the beach filled with people, she lets the words from her brother resonate. She sees a couple cuddling on a beach blanket to her right and lets out a sigh, wondering what it would be like to have a real relationship again. To be truly happy, to come home to someone every night and wake up with them in her arms every morning. To have what she had with Kate for so long again; a loving, passionate relationship.

“I should call her, huh?” she says softly, thinking on her brother’s words and Jenna’s warning from a few weeks ago about how she owes it to herself.

“You should,” Chris says with a nod, inwardly proud of himself for getting Ash to admit it. From just the short time they were together, he could see how happy Ashlyn was and knows that Ali is a good thing for her. She’s just too stubborn to admit it.

For good measure and just to keep her brother off her back, she pulls out her phone and scrolls through the contact page. She doesn’t have to go far before her finger is hovering over a familiar face, and she quickly dials the number before she can get any second thoughts.

“Hey,” she says when she hears the soft, familiar voice answer on the other end. She can’t ignore the slight flutter in her heartbeat when she hears the excited, albeit nervous reply that follows. “Can you come by the bar tonight to talk? I know I owe you a chance to explain some things. I get a break around 8…Okay great. See you then.” She hangs up the phone and turns to face her shocked, slack-jawed brother. “Happy now, Christopher?”


	18. So What Now?

After the fifth shirt is torn off and tossed onto the ground, Ali finally finds an acceptable one in the back corner of her closet. She’s nervous to finally see Ashlyn after not talking for over a week and wants to look perfect. Deep down she knows it’s not what she’s wearing that will change Ashlyn’s opinion, it’s what she says when she gets to the bar, but she’ll feel more confident at least if she’s looking good.

Her phone begins ringing and she quickly grabs it off the black and white patterned comforter of her King bed. “Hey, Kyle,” she says, the nervousness evident in her voice as she begins holding heels up and seeing how they work with her outfit.

“Breathe, Alex,” he says with a laugh. “It’s going to be okay.”

“I know. I just…I hope it’s not too late, Kyle. I’ve realized a lot this last month with her and the last week without her. This can’t be it.”

Kyle lets out a sigh. He can tell by her rambling that she’s extremely nervous.  
“What are you wearing?” he asks to change the subject.

“Cream colored skinny jeans, and a gray sequin tank top. Still trying to decide on shoes,” she lets out with a frustrated sigh as she plops down on her bed.

“Wear those gray strap heels,” he interjects. “They’ll make your legs look banging.”

Ali can’t help but laugh at her brother’s candid advice. “Thanks. So how are things with you?”

“They’re good. I’m feeling good today and it was nice to get out for a little bit. Wish I could do that more often,” he says honestly with a touch of sadness.

Ali finally locates her heels in the cluttered closet and begins putting them on. “Soon, Kyle. You’re doing so well. I’m really proud of you.”

Kyle smiles. “Thanks, Alex. It means a lot to have you here.”

“Always!” she says cheerily, trying to lighten the mood a bit. She alone knows how bad things had been for her brother and honestly can’t believe the strength he’s shown to get where he is today. “I’ve got to get going though. Can we maybe get lunch tomorrow?”

Kyle lets out a sigh. “Not sure I’m allowed out again, but I’ll check. They certainly love this ‘slow integration’ thing the doc keeps preaching about. Now go get your girl!”

With a laugh Ali pushes up from the bed and wanders into the kitchen to grab her purse. “Alright I’m heading out. I love you and will talk to you tomorrow, okay?”

“Sounds good. Good luck!” he says confidently, trying to instill some calmness into his sister.

“Thanks. Night Kyle,” she says before hanging up and locking the front door behind her. As she slips into the driver’s seat of her BMW and waits for the top to go down she lets out a deep breath. “It’s now or never, Krieger.”

 

…….

 

“Well look who the cat dragged in!” exclaims Jenna as elbows Ash to get her attention and then nods towards the front door that had just swung open, letting a cool sea-breeze blow through the bar.

Ash shares a small, tight-lipped smile with her friend before glancing at the clock. “I’m taking my break. I’ll be on the back patio if you need me,” she says before tossing her dish towel onto the bar and slipping around to greet the familiar face.

“Hey, Ash,” she says with a sweet, yet tentative smile.

“Hey, Kate. Thanks for coming,” Ash says softly as the smaller blonde woman halts in front of her.

Kate just smiles back up at her. “Of course. Thanks for finally agreeing to talk,” she says honestly.

Ash just nods as she digs her toe into the ground, unsure of how to proceed. She’s still harboring so much anger towards Kate, but seeing her standing before her after so long is unsettling. She’s still just as beautiful and all of the memories come flooding back in.

Kate reaches out and touches Ash’s arm briefly to get her to raise her eyes. When she does, she pulls her hand back, not wanting to cross some unspoken line. “Can we talk somewhere more private?” she asks.

Ash nods and then turns to make her way to the back patio. It’s still early so it hasn’t quite filled up yet with their regulars and she knows they’ll be able to talk quietly. Kate follows her silently as she lets her eyes wander Ashlyn’s frame from behind, remembering every curve of her body that she’s missed for the past few months.

“So uh…how have you been?” Ash asks a bit awkwardly as she hoists herself up to sit on the railing. She clearly hadn’t planned very well for this and doesn’t even know where to begin.

Kate sighs and takes her spot standing a few feet in front of her. “I’ve been alright. I miss you though. So much, Ash.”

In her crystal blue eyes, Ash can sense the sadness and honesty of her words. She stares at Kate for a minute, but quickly looks away when she feels herself getting lost in her comforting eyes. The same eyes that just a few months ago she swore she could look into the rest of her life. “Kate…” she begins, but is cut off.

“Ash, I know I hurt you. I left you when you needed me the most and I haven’t gone one day without regretting it. If I could take it all back I would. You have to know that.”

Her tone is pleading and sincere, but it doesn’t break through the walls of emotional scars that have built up inside Ashlyn’s mind. “You can’t take it back though, Kate. You can’t change the fact that when things got hard, you abandoned me!”

Kate steps towards her ex-girlfriend and sets her palms gently on her thighs. “Ash,” she says in a soft voice. “You’re right. I can’t go back and change it. All I can do is show you how sorry I am going forward. Show you how I’m never going to leave your side again. I love you, Ash. I never stopped. I was just scared.”

“You were scared? My father had just died and they were threatening to close my shop, my only source of income! I needed you Kate and you just left at the first sign of trouble.” She pushes off the railing and out of Kate’s touch and walks away.

“Please,” Kate pleads as she follows Ashlyn to the other side of the patio. She reaches out and cautiously tugs at the blonde’s arm to get her to turn around. “Ashlyn, please. I was stupid and immature and you’re right that I can’t take it back. I wish I could, I wish more than anything I could turn back the clocks and be there for you when you needed it most. I’m so sorry. Just please. Please give me another chance baby,” she says softly as she steps towards Ashlyn, pushing their bodies together. Their faces are inches apart as Kate whispers, “Please let me show you,” while sweeping a few stray hairs out of Ashlyn’s face.

Ashlyn searches Kate’s eyes. She can see the honesty, and pain there and knows Kate means what she says. Absent is the usual blame game or victimization she tries to get herself out of sticky situations. She seems vulnerable and like she’s truly opening herself up and for a brief moment, Ash opens up as well. Her eyes flick down to Kate’s lips and then back up to her eyes.

Kate senses the internal struggle the blonde is going through and brings her hand up to cup her cheek. “Please,” she whispers again, and this time follows it up with a kiss.

It feels so familiar and different at the same time as Ash moves her lips against Kate’s, slowly bringing her hands up to the shorter woman’s waist. It’s like nothing has changed, but at the same time everything has. She feels her body respond as it always had to Kate’s passionate kiss, but there’s something missing, something different this time.

“Ash are you out here?” calls a voice from the patio door.

She quickly pulls back from the kiss and as she sees a swath of brunette hair disappear back into the bar and hears the door slam soundly, that’s when she realized what was different, what was missing. Ali.

Ash’s reaction doesn’t go missed by Kate either. She remembers Ali from the Surf Shop a month ago and judging by the blank expression on Ashlyn’s face, they’ve seen each other since. “Are you seeing that girl?” Kate asks, but it isn’t angry, there’s a genuine curiosity behind it.

Ash is quick to shake her head though, the anger she felt towards Ali was still very much present. “We’re not together, if that’s what you’re asking.”

Kate lets out a visible sigh of relief. She had heard of Ash’s nightly escapades since they had broken up, but for some reason that didn’t bother her as much as the thought of Ashlyn dating someone else. Still, she can’t help but sense that since seeing Ali just now, Ash seems a bit distant. 

“Hey,” she says quietly and brings her hand to the blonde’s cheek to gently turn her face back towards her. “I love you, Ash. You don’t need to say it back,” she quickly adds when she see’s the hesitation flare through her eyes. “And I’m not asking you to jump right back into things. I miss you and I know you missed me too, Ash. I just needed you to know how sorry I am and that it would never happen again, okay?” she asks as she takes Ashlyn’s hands in her own.

“Okay,” Ash nods, but when she sees a sparkle of hope flicker through Kate’s eyes she’s not quite sure what she just agreed to. Her mind is too foggy at the moment to process anything for the time being. “I have to get back to work,” she says tepidly, though she’s honestly glad for the excuse. She definitely needs time to wrap her head around everything.

“Right,” Kate replies as she squeezes Ashlyn’s hands, relishing every moment of contact she can get. “I’ll see you around?” she asks hopefully. She’s unsure if anything was settled tonight, but she hopes they at least cleared the air between them.

“Uh…yeah,” Ash says with a small smile as she looks down at the blonde before pulling her into a tight hug. As Kate’s arms wrap around her waist and squeeze tightly she can feel a renewed sense of lightness, as if the anger hanging heavy in her heart had physically dissipated. After letting out a deep breath, she pulls back and leads Kate towards her car.

“I’m glad we talked,” says Kate as she slips into her car, smiling at how Ashlyn thought to open the door for her just like she used to.

“Me too,” Ash responds honestly and then shut the door softly. “Have a safe drive home,” she adds, leaning into the open window.

Kate leans forward and places a light kiss on Ashlyn’s cheek. “I’ll see you around, okay?”

“Okay,” Ash says with a nod and then leans back and knocks lightly on the window frame with her knuckles before stepping back and watching Kate pull out of the parking lot. She lets out a deep breath when she pulls onto the main road and wonders what the hell just happened as she makes her way back into the bar.

As soon as she’s back inside the hot, stuffy bar, she catches Jenna’s eyes and wide smirk. Ash just shakes her head as she walks over and joins her friend behind the bar. “Don’t say a word,” she says with a laugh. It really is comical how her life is playing out at the moment.

“I can’t not say anything, Ash. Was that Ali I saw too?”

Ash lets out a groan and slaps her forehead with her palm as she uncaps a beer bottle from the fridge. “Of course it was Ali. And of course she finally came to see me the night I arranged to talk to Kate. And of course she came outside just as Kate kissed me.”

Jenna lets out a laugh, but her eyes quickly go wide. “Kate kissed you?” she hisses and slaps Ash. “You let her kiss you?”

Ash just shrugs and takes a sip of her Corona. “I may have also kissed her back.”

“You are impossible to keep up with,” Jenna replies with an eye roll as she begins making a Bloody Mary for one of their regulars. “So what now?”

Again, all Ash can do is shrug. “No idea. Kate apologized and took all the blame which is unusual for her and told me she still loves me and wants another chance.”

“Wow.” Jenna walks the drink over to her customer and then returns to Ashlyn’s side and leans against the bar. “What are you going to do? What about Ali?”

The condensation is dripping down her beer bottle and Ashlyn concentrates on stopping each drop before it hits the bar. “I really don’t know. Kate seemed so sincere and when she kissed me I could feel it was still there. I really could. I know she means it and I’d be lying if I said part of me didn’t miss her. But it still…I don't know...something felt different. I just don’t know, Jen.” She finally gives up on stopping the falling drops, there’s too many so she just chugs the bottle and then tosses it in the recycling bin.

“Well what about Ali? How does she fit into all of this?”

The cool breeze rippling through the bar sends a shiver down Ash’s spine, or maybe it’s the mention of Ali and the memories her name brings up that does it. She pours herself a glass of water and bites her cheek, deep in thought. “I’m really not sure. I mean what Kate and I had was over a year, Ali and I…we were never really anything. You know?”

Jenna sets her drink down and looks back at her friend with a skeptical expression. “No I don’t know. You and Ali may not have been together for long, but I could tell you cared a lot more about her than you let on, Ashlyn. Every time you talked about her or someone mentioned her or you saw her you had this big, stupid smile on your face.”

Ashlyn scoffs and furrows her brow. “Did not!”

“What are you disputing? That you really liked her or that you had a big, stupid grin?” Jenna asks with an amused smile.

“Both,” Ashlyn grumbles as she turns her attention to a customer that walked into the bar. He asks for two Bud Lights with a smile and Ash is quick to retrieve them.

“You should talk to her,” Jenna says. To be honest, she was surprised Ash had tried to fix things with Kate before fixing the mess with Ali. Then again, the wounds are fresher with Ali. She thinks her friend is just too dense, or stubborn to realize it’s better to fix the wounds before they scar.

“There’s nothing to say, Jenna. She’s not the person I thought she was.”

The Colombian knows better than to push her friend too much. Reaching out to Kate in itself was a pretty big step so she decides to let her off the hook for now. “Alright. Can you go grab another case of Coronas from the back freezer?” Ash nods and when she’s out of sight Jenna rolls her eyes. “This is _definitely_ going to be interesting,” she chuckles to herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apparently I'm getting too predictable! Lol. I might have to really throw a wrench into things to throw you guys off ;p


	19. I Think It's Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love waking up to all your comments! You guys are the best and I'm glad you're enjoying. Stick with me.. It's always darkest before the dawn, right? :)

"I'm guessing by the depressed look on your face that it didn't go well?" Kyle asks as Ali pulls back from the hug and leads her over to a bench in the courtyard.

"You could say that," she replies with a small laugh and hands her brother a Starbucks cup as she settles onto a wooden bench while admiring the beauty of the landscaping around her. She knows exactly where the money is going as she looks over the pristine grass and perfectly sculpted bushes that are brimming with bright tropical flowers. It’s definitely a peaceful setting and she can see why it’s her brother’s favorite place to hang out in the facility.

He takes it with a gracious smile before sinking onto the bench beside her. "Well what happened last night?" he asked expectantly as he took a sip. "God that's so much better than the crap they serve here."

Ali shakes her head and playfully smacks his arm. "Sorry that the best rehab facility in the country doesn't have the most delicious coffee for you princess," she says with an eye roll.

"Whatever," he grumbles. He really does know how lucky he even is to be alive. "So tell me what happened with Ashlyn."

Ali leans back against the bench with a sigh. "Well I walked out to talk to her and found her making out with some girl. From what I caught it was an ex-girlfriend that I’m guessing may not be so much of an ex anymore."

"Ouch," replies Kyle with a grimace. "So I'm guessing you didn't talk to her?"

"Yeah I wasn't exactly planning on waiting patiently in line for my turn," she says with a sarcastic laugh as she looks out at the calm crystal clear pool before them.

"Fair enough. So what now?"

The question perplexes Ali because honestly she doesn't know what comes next. She knows how she feels about Ashlyn, but doesn't think it matters much anymore. That ship had most likely already sailed. She's also isn't quite sure comes next regarding her job. Her recent time in Satellite Beach had definitely opened her eyes to what she really wanted and it sure as well wasn't to be in politics anymore.

What had started as her party’s -and father's- suggestion to spend more time cozying up to the locals to smooth things over with the new tax bill, had actually caused the opposite effect. It seemed like it had been her views that had been changed, not theirs.

"I don't know, Kyle. I'm honestly sick of all of this. This isn't what I wanted. It never was."

Kyle feels a pang deep in his chest. His sister, his savior, his hero has always given one hundred percent of herself and now it's finally caught up to her. It kills him to know that she's struggling. "You need to be true to yourself, Alex. If there's one thing I've learned it's that you can't be concerned with what others think. That's what got me into this mess. Live for yourself because you deserve happiness."

"I wish it was that easy, Kyle," she argues. They both know it's a weak one though.

"You know what you have to do. Just do it," he says with a shrug. "Don't worry what people want from you. Don't worry about dad or anyone else for that matter. I promise you'll come out of it just fine on the other side." The look of sincerity on his face is all Ali needs to see to know what she needs to do.

"How did you get so smart?" Ali asks and ruffles his hair much to his dismay.

Kyle groans and playfully pushes her off. "You don't need a law degree to be a genius," he says with a wry smirk.

"True," Ali surmises with a smile, suddenly feeling a bit more at ease.

"So you going to do it?"

"I think so, Kyle. I really think it's time to start living for me."

Kyle grins ear to ear and slings an arm around his sister. "There's my girl!"

 

........

 

"You see the news last night?" Jenna asks. It's been a couple days since Ash last caught a glimpse of Ali at the bar and with the tax vote less than a week away the media coverage has definitely picked up on it.

"Can we not get into that?" Ash asks with an annoyed tone. The last thing she needed was yet another reminder.

"Alright, alright," Jenna quickly concedes as she begins pulling the chairs down from the top of the table across the room from Ashlyn. The bar opened for lunch in half an hour and they were just getting set up.

"Hey you," comes a voice from the doorway and Jenna and Ash both turn their heads towards in that direction.

"Oh, hey," Ash says. Though she tries to hide the confused tone in her voice, she's unable to do so.

"Don't act so excited to see me," Kate says with an amused chuckle as she walks over to where Ash is working and extends her hand out.

Ash takes the coffee cup from her hand and offers a thank you, albeit a weak one and watches in confusion as Kate begins to help take down the chairs.

"How's it going, Jenna?" Kate asks in a chipper tone as she shoots a glance across the room.

"It's good!" Jenna replies, already excited to grill Ashlyn about this encounter later. "How have you been?"

"Eh, I've been alright. Missing this one though," she says and nudges Ash slightly with her elbow.

"I got this, Ash. You can take a few minutes if you want," Jenna replies and nods towards the door to the patio.

Ash catches the hint and extends her hand towards the door. "Want to head out back?" she asks, looking down at Kate with a small smile before taking a sip of her drink, which she notes is exactly the way she likes it.

"Actually I have to get back to work," she replies sadly. "I just stopped by to say hey and bring you your favorite coffee," she adds with a nod to the drink.

"Oh, thanks," Ash replies. She's still a bit confused, but is certainly surprised by Kate's graceful attempt to come back into her life. It is much more subtle than she expected and she can’t deny that she's missed having her around.

"No problem. Maybe I'll see you around sometime?" she asks and the hopefulness in her voice is plainly evident.

"Uh yeah. Feel free to drop by the bar sometime this week. I'm here every night," she says with a laugh.

"I'll do that," Kate replies shyly and gently squeezes Ash's arm. "See ya later, Jenna!" she adds with a wave as she turns to leave.

"Thanks for the coffee!" Ash calls out and lifts her cup into the air.

Kate simply turns around in the doorframe and smiles brightly. "Of course. I'll see you around."

A few moments later Ash pulls her eyes from the door frame, the image of a smiling Kate in her jean shorts and tight, plain v-neck shirt still engrained in her mind.

"Well that was interesting," Jenna says nonchalantly as she sidles up next to Ash.

"You could say that," Ash replies with a chuckle and moves to the last of the tables with Jenna to finish setting up the place for opening.

Jenna can see the wheels turning in her mind and knows Ash works through things best when she talks them out. "Are you going to let her in again?"

The question is point blank, but Ash wouldn't expect anything less from the poignant Colombian. She takes a deep breath before drawing a long sip of coffee into her mouth. "I honestly don't know. I guess we'll see how it all plays out," she says with a shrug as she sets the cup down and turns back to her work.


	20. Don't Walk Away

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ali ain't takin no mo' shit! Also I'm loving that I've been getting two chapters out a day.. I feel so productive lol

It's not even an hour after she steps out of the restaurant into the cool D.C. air that Ali's phone starts ringing. She grumbles as she quickly shuffles her Prada bag, black leather pad folio and keys into one hand so she can answer it.

"Hi dad," she says cheerily though she knows the mood is most likely about to quickly change, and very quickly for that matter.

"Alex, what are you doing?" His tone is curt and words are straight to the point. They both know where this conversation is heading.

She sighs and tucks the phone between her chin and ear she can open her car door. "What are you talking about dad?" she asks while slipping into the driver’s seat and closing the door of her Audi behind her. 

As she juggles everything in her hands she wishes for a moment she would have taken Eli up on the offer to have her driver take her around for the day, but thought privacy outweighed convenience. Even though she knows security is never far behind, at least they can’t eavesdrop on important and highly confidential meetings.

Ken’s voice is firm and unwavering as he tries to convey his seriousness. “I've gotten three calls already today. Three. Partners from several different law firms all called me within the last hour. What are you trying to pull?“

"They're just conversations. Honest conversations where the _facts_ preside. I'm not trying to pull anything." She lets her tone show the disdain, but keeps her words polite. Things will only escalate quickly is she speaks disrespectfully towards her father. She’s hoping they can have an honest, level conversation without her father pulling rank over her.

The phone switches over to Bluetooth when she starts the car and through the speakers she can easily hear her father's long, frustrated sigh.

"Alex, you better not mess this up. This can be your legacy. We gave you this on a silver platter and you easily have the numbers following you. The last name Krieger will pave the way for you and there's no telling how far you can go in office. Don't walk away from this opportunity.“ He's growing angry, but trying to curb his words. Ken knows how his daughter functions and yelling isn't going to help anything.

"What if I don't want this to be my legacy, dad?” she asks honestly. “What if I don't want this anymore?" she adds with an escalating level. Her pent up frustrations and true feelings are finally spilling out and she can't believe how truly liberating it is to get everything off her chest.

"What are you trying to say?" Senator Krieger demands, his tone becoming more irritated by the minute. He thought his daughter knew where she belonged, but he was now beginning to think differently.

“I really don’t have time for this dad,” she states with a sense of finality. “I have a meeting with Damon Deeks in twenty minutes across town.”

“But he’s-”

“I have to go,” Ali quickly cuts him off before he can get the furious statement out that she knows is coming. “Maybe I’ll see you later,” she says as she clicks the end button and turns her concentration to the busy D.C. streets ahead of her. A sense of calm washes over her even in the bumper to bumper traffic with blaring horns surrounding around her as she thinks about what she’s really about to do. It’s a bold move and she knows it’s risky, but the reward, the allure of freedom is too tempting.

Her moment of bliss is quickly cut through though when her ringtone begins playing through the speakers of her car again.

“Hello, Eli,” she says with a slight sigh as she clicks the button on the steering wheel to answer that call.

“Alexandra, I just got off the phone with your father. We need to speak before you head over to Capitol Hill. Meet me at the office in twenty minutes.”

Ali is immediately irked by Eli’s demanding tone, but remains professional as always. “Excuse me, Eli. I am a United States Congresswoman and seem to recall that you work for me and not my father so I would appreciate it if you didn’t demand that I do things. Do you understand?”

“But Alexandr-”

“I asked if you understand, Eli. It’s a simple yes or no answer,” she continues, asserting her authority again. She’s had it with bossy politicians and handlers and isn’t going to take their shit anymore.

“Yes, Ms. Krieger,” he replies, but his tone is a bit clipped. “My apologies.”

Ali’s smile is beaming at this point so she lets his tone slide. “Very well then. I have a meeting scheduled in 15 minutes so I need to go. I will talk to you later, Eli.”

With that, she hangs up the phone and turns right onto 44th Street to head towards the Lincoln Building on 48th. She pulls up in front of the building and slips out of her car before tossing the keys to the valet who nods towards her. 

“Afternoon, Congresswoman,” the older man says as he walks over to the driver’s side door which is still ajar.

“I shouldn’t be too long, so please don’t park it far,” she says as she slips a twenty into the man’s hand with a smile.

“You got it, Ms. Krieger,” he replies and quickly slips into the car.

Ali walks into the lobby and up to the receptionist. “I’m here for Mr. Deeks,” she says to the woman sitting behind the giant iMac screen while pushing her oversized sunglasses up on top of her head.

The receptionist nods and clicks a few buttons before looking back up. “I can take you up right now Congresswoman Krieger,” she says with a smile. “His earlier meeting was actually cancelled to prepare for this one.”

Ali is genuinely surprised, but is quickly reminded of her father’s words; the last name Krieger will pave the way for her. “Perfect. Hopefully he had time to look over the files I had my receptionist send over earlier,” she says as she follows the woman into the elevator, trying not to let her eyes drop down to her perfectly swaying hips rocking side to side in her tight pencil skirt.

The woman stretches past Ali, brushing her arm gently with her breast as she does, to reach out and hit the correct floor button. “Between you and me, when I brought him a coffee earlier, he seemed to be reading it and writing lots of notes. He didn’t even take a lunch so don’t let him pretend he’s disinterested,” she says with a wink.

“Thanks for the insider information,” she smirks back, appreciative of the woman’s helpful words, as well as the beautiful smile plastered on her face.

The elevator dings when they reach the floor. 

“Of course. Right this way,” she nods and Ali quickly follows behind her after smoothing out her skirt in the back. It was her last ditch effort and she takes a deep settling breath as the receptionist pulls open the thick, oak door leading into his pristine office.

“Alexandra Krieger is here to see you,” the woman supplies as she leads Ali into the room.

“Ah Alexandra, it’s so nice to see you!” comes the booming voice of a man from inside as he pushes his rolling chair away from his desk and quickly stands to greet her with a firm handshake. “I’m looking forward to hopefully working with in the very near future. Jennifer can you please grab us a couple glasses of Scotch?” he asks his secretary without letting go of Ali’s hand or breaking their eye contact.

“Of course. Can I take your jacket, Congresswoman?” she asks and extends her hand.

Ali nods and quickly slips the thick pea coat off her shoulders, realizing how warm she was getting now that she wasn’t in the cool D.C. air. “Thank you, Jennifer,” she says with a smile before turning her attention back to the attractive man standing before her. “So I take it you’ve read my proposal?”

He smirks and places a hand on her lower back to lead her over to the leather chairs surrounding a low coffee table in the corner of his office. She’s a bit taken aback, but enjoys the more casual vibe she’s getting from him and figures it’s a good sign.

“I have indeed read it and I think this firm could be a great fit for you should you decide to choose us. I definitely think I can help you…if you can help me,” he says with a charming smile, his eyes holding a devious expression as he takes the glasses of Scotch that Jennifer quickly returns with and hands one off to Ali. “Here’s to us,” he adds and lifts his glass in the air to clink it with Ali’s.


	21. Get What You Deserve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another bit of a bomb drop in this one and now Ash has some thinking to do!

It’s half past seven when Kate wanders into the bar with a brown bag clutched in her hand. She sees Ashlyn is busy chatting up another customer so she gives her a smile before slipping onto a bar stool across the bar to wait patiently. Ash takes her time with the other woman before making her way over to Kate.

“Hey,” she says with a smile. “Thanks for waiting,” she adds with a nod back towards the young woman who she was just chatting with.

Kate just eyes her skeptically with a sly grin. “Do I have competition?” she asks, but the playfulness in her voice curbs her words.

Ash just shyly smiles and shakes her head. “Nah, I think that phase has passed,” she says assuredly and it makes Kate’s smile grow a little big bigger, along with her confidence.

She quickly lifts her arm above the bar and sets the bag down. “I brought you some dinner if you haven’t eaten already. It’s Thai, you're favorite,” she says with a grin as she pushes the bag towards Ashlyn.

Ash looks back at her with a pleased expression. “Thanks. I do get sick of eating bar food every night,” she says with a chuckle to which Kate replies with a sympathetic smile.

“Well you definitely can’t tell,” she says teasingly as she looks Ash up and down.

With a raised eyebrow Ash just smirks. _Yep, same old Kate._ “Oh is that so?” she asks with a laugh before digging into the bag and pulling out two containers. “I guess you planned on joining me, huh?” she asks with an amused grin as she slides Kate’s favorite over to her.

“If you don’t mind,” she shrugs in reply and holds her breath as she waits for the answer with her hand primed on the top of the plastic lid.

“Not at all,” Ash says as she quickly opens hers up and lets the steamy, delightful scent fill her nostrils. “I don’t have too long though,” she adds with a nod to the clock.

Kate just sweetly smiles as she digs her fork in. “I’ll take whatever I can get.”

The words hang in the air for a bit as Ash finishes chewing her first bite. “So how are things with you?” she asks with apparent interest.

“They’re alright,” Kate replies and sets her fork down. She’d rather talk than eat. “I got promoted to manager at work so that’s been keeping me pretty busy. My parents came in to visit last week too so I was able to catch up with them.

“That’s nice,” Ash says with a sincere smile. Kate’s closeness with her family was one of the things she really loved about her. “I know how much you must miss them.”

Kate nods and quickly takes a sip from the beer Ash brought her over. “Yeah I do. How’s your grandma? Still as adorable as ever?” she asks, remembering the many dinner’s she had at the older woman’s house.

Ash just chuckles. “Yeah she’s still ninety, but acting like she’s thirty-five. Just the other day she joined the world of Instagram. I don’t think my life will ever be the same again.”

Kate begins laughing at the thought as does Ashlyn and they as they quickly fall into their comfortable, always playful state around each other. When Kate glances up she notices a bit of sauce on the blonde's lip and instinctively reaches up to wipe it away with her thumb. Ash immediately tenses at the contact and Kate dips her head shyly. 

“Sorry. Old habit,” she offers before twirling her spoon in her noodles to gather another bite.

“It’s okay,” Ash replies honestly and sets her hand on top of Kate’s reassuringly. “Just caught me off guard is all.”

Kate is quick to change the subject to cut through the mounting tension. She hasn’t quite built up enough courage to say what she really came there to. “And how’s the Surf Shop? Any word on getting it back up?”

“Um, kind of,” Ash lamely supplies as her mind suddenly drifts at the mention of it.

Kate nudges her elbow with her hand and furrows her brow. “Kind of? Care to elaborate?” She digs back into her food as Ash leans forward with her elbows resting on the bar top.

“There’s talk of a government grant for a surfing program for the Drug and Alcohol rehab clinic over on Palmetto and apparently I’m being considered for it,” she says hesitantly. It’s not that she’s nervous, per se, it’s just the first person she’s told other than her brother and she’s interest to get a somewhat unbiased opinion.

“That’s great, Ash! How’d you get picked for consideration? Isn’t that weird since the Surf Shop isn’t even open right now?” She knows her statement is a bit blunt, but she’s always been a down to the point type person.

“Apparently a local Congresswoman came to my shop to rent a board one day not knowing it was closed and liked the place I guess,” she says, completely forgetting that Kate had in fact been there the day Ali stopped in with Kyle.

The fact is not lost on Kate however. Kate bites her lip to hide her true response to remembering the day, and Ali, and decides to prod Ash a bit further to see what else she can find out, besides the fact that Ash obviously has some deeper relationship with the brunette Congresswoman. “And why is she interested in starting this program? Aren’t there better ways to use taxpayer dollars?”

A slight wave of protective instinct towards Ali comes over Ash as she thinks on Kate’s questions. “Her brother is actually in recovery there for his drug addiction,” she supplies evenly, her memory of the insult she had unknowingly hurled at him still burned into her mind. “And it’s only partially covered by the government grant. A large part comes from the facility itself. Apparently, it’s one of the best in the country.”

“I see,” Kate replies as nonchalantly as she can manage while she finishes up her dinner and closes the lid after tucking her plastic fork inside. “Well, I hope it works out. I know what that place means to you.”

Ash nods as she finishes up her food as well. She sees a new crowd of people walk in from the muggy Florida night and knows her time off is dwindling. “Yeah, thanks. I just hope I can get it all back. Get back on track where I was before my life got hit by the perfect shit storm,” she says with a bit of a bite.

Kate looks up and meets Ashlyn’s soft hazel eyes, willing her to see the sincerity housed in them. “Ash, I just really need you to know how sorry I am for leaving you when things got tough. I miss you so much. More than I can even explain and I would never hurt you again.”

“I know, Kate. I know,” Ash supplies. She can easily sense the honesty in her voice and since they first talked a week ago, Kate has gone out of her way several times to show Ash she cares; between coffee drop offs, cute goodmorning texts and even leaving a single flower and cute note on her windshield the night before for when she got out of work.

“Can I take you out on a real date?” Kate finally blurts out as she sees Ash’s attention drift off towards the TV on the wall.

Ash rips her wide eyes back towards the blonde sitting before her. “Uh what?”

Kate takes a deep breath and states her question more calmly this time. “Can I take you out for dinner sometime, Ash?”

Ashlyn looks back at the hopeful woman sitting before her and takes in the pleading look in her crystal blue eyes that had always captivated her, but as her eyes are lulled into the comfort of Kate’s eyes, her ears pick up something else entirely.

_“Breaking news coming out of Washington D.C. just now where Congresswoman Alexandra Krieger’s tax bill was voted down in an epic battle in the House of Representatives today. More on that whirlwind story following this break.”_

Her eyes immediately go up to the TV and her heart flutters in her chest when she sees the image of a beaming Ali plastered on the screen before the channel fades to commercial. Kate’s prodding pulls her from her trance.

“Ash?” Kate asks, trying to hide the annoyed tone in her voice. The reason for Ash’s sudden aloofness is not lost on her, but she’s not one to give up a fight easily. She'll keep her cool and play her cards right. 

Ashlyn is still shocked, and honestly quite pleased at the moment. _You got exactly what you deserved, Alexandra Krieger,_ she thinks with a smug grin.

Her thoughts are running rampant, and she's slightly confused as to why Ali is smiling in the shot, but she doesn’t have time to process them at the moment.

She brings her eyes down again and smiles back at Kate. The same Kate who has been bending over backwards to try and win her back. The Kate who is here fighting for her in the flesh, not hiding out cowardly behind the scenes and failing to make any attempts to reach out. Kate’s smile falters a bit when it takes Ash more than a few seconds to answer, and although Ash still isn’t quite sure what she wants –what’s best for her- she can’t help but want to see Kate smiling again. “I guess dinner couldn’t hurt,” she supplies, but honestly she just wants Kate to leave at the moment so she can have a few moments of peace and watch the upcoming news segment on how Ali's bill got defeated so she can finally feel vindicated.

“Great!” Kate says, her enthusiasm evident from her bubbling tone as well as her giant smile. “Sometime next week?”

Ash waves to a few more people that enter the bar and notes that Jenna had slipped into the back office. “Yeah,” she says more confidently this time after witnessing Kate’s honest excitement to her agreeing. “Just come by the bar and grab me some night, okay? Thanks for dinner, but I’ve really got to help these people out,” she finishes with a nod towards the new customers that had sidled up at the bar.

“Anytime,” Kate replies with a smile and leans over the bar to tenderly kiss Ashlyn's cheek. “I can’t wait for next week,” she adds quickly before grabbing their dinner containers and stuffing it into the bag. Ash had to clean up for people all night, she didn’t want her to have to do it any extra. “See ya, Ash.”

Ashlyn waves and watches Kate leave, but as soon as the door is closed behind her she runs over to the other couple and takes their order. Luckily it’s only a few beers and she quickly brings them over just in time to turn around towards the TV as the news come back on. She goes over and stands on her tiptoes to quickly increase the volume, knowing full well that the remote was likely buried somewhere.

_”So Bill what is this story out of Washington D.C. right now? Are the reports true?”_

_”Yes, Cheryl they are absolutely truthful and there are numerous accounts backing it. Congresswoman Alexandra Krieger’s tax bill was indeed voted down today, by Congresswoman Krieger, **herself**.”_

“Um did they just say what I think they said?” Jenna asks with an amused grin as she walks into the room from her office and leans forwards on the bar next to Ash. 

“Yeah, I think they did,” a wide-eye, slack jawed Ash mumbles in utter shock.


	22. What Did You Do?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You're comments are too funny! I also think there might be someone else to add to the pitchfork list after this one :/

“Did ya see what your girl did?” Chris says while wagging his eyebrows when he wanders into the shop the next morning for their usual morning surf.

Ashlyn just rolls her eyes as she finishes wiping down some of the shelves in the front. “She’s not my girl, Chris,” she groans and then tosses the dusty rag at him which he easily catches in his outstretched hand.

“Right. According to Jenna, Kate’s your girl now,” he says with a raised eyebrow while he tosses the rag back at her.

Ash just lets it hit her in the side as she looks back at him incredulously. He immediately picks up on the look he’s receiving and takes a few steps back. “Kate isn’t either,” she says through gritted teeth, wondering just how often Jenna decides to blab her secrets to Chris. She wonders if he knows about the time she hooked up on his living room couch when he was out of town since her place was too messy and she was trying to impress the girl. Hopefully not.

“Not yet,” Chris challenges with a hint of attitude himself. He was shocked when Jenna told him who had wandered into the bar, obviously invited, to talk that night a few weeks back and to be honest, he thinks his sister is copping out of her feelings for Ali.

Ash pushes up from her knees where she was cleaning and makes her way towards the back of the store where the checkout counter was. “Chris, I don’t want to get into it right now. Ali hasn’t even reached out to me since it all happened and just because she voted down the bill, doesn’t mean it changes anything between us. She lied to me. I opened up and told her things and she just sat there pretending to be concerned when she knew the whole damn time that she had a hand in it!”

What amazes Chris most about the rant his sister is currently on, is that there isn’t as much anger in her voice as there is hurt and disappointment. It would be one thing if she was furious and spewing anger, but he can sense that’s not where it’s coming from and it makes him push a bit more.

“If the tables were turned and you went to apologize and found her making out with an ex-girlfriend, would you honestly try to reach out again?” he asks seriously, his face void of any humorous inflection. “Maybe you need to try and talk to her this time.”

Ash thinks on it for a moment and does realize that Ali had tried to see her once, though she’s unsure of what exactly she was there to say. “I don’t know, Chris,” she mumbles under her breath. She knows her brother has a point, but as she makes her way to the back room with him in tow to begin waxing their boards, she still isn’t sold on the idea of being the one that has to try and fix the mess that Ali obviously created. “And what about Kate? She’s really trying this time,” she adds, though it’s not with too much emphasis.

He walks up next to Ashlyn and lays his board down on the table beside hers. Taking a bar of wax he leans over his board and begins waxing it in small circles. “Ashlyn, that girl left you out to dry. She just wants what she can’t have right now and who’s to say she won’t drop you again if things get hard?” 

“At least she’s honest with me! She doesn’t keep secrets and play along like it’s a fucking game!”

Chris sighs and stills his hand, before placing it on Ashlyn’s to get her to look up. “Ash, you said it before, you and Ali we’re never official or anything and that you were both in it just for fun. So why would you think she would come to her fuck buddy confessing her sins?”

Ashlyn drops her wax and leans back against the wall behind her with her eyes closed. “I don’t know. It was more to me than that and I guess she just wasn’t on the same page.”

Chris is genuinely surprised Ash confessed she had deeper feelings for Ali as he picks up his wax bar and sets back to prepping his board. “Did you tell her that? How do you know it wasn’t more for her too? You don’t go on extravagant dates and text friends with benefits all day, Ash. Maybe it was more for her too and she just didn’t get the chance to tell you.”

Ash follows her brother’s lead and leans forward again to set back to work. “Why is my life always a mess?” she groans with a slight chuckle. “I’ve got too many woman, than one woman and now two?”

Chris lets out a hearty laugh. “I guess there’s worse problems to have than too many women, right?”

Ash elbows him lightly in the ribs as she finishes up her board and picks it up to examine. “I suppose. I’m still really mad at her though, Chris and I don’t think I should be the one that tries to fix things. Kate ran when things got hard and she’s really trying now to show me she cares. Why should I give Ali the benefit of the doubt for leaving when things got hard?”

Chris knows that although stubborn, his sister has a point. She’s special and deserves someone that will stand by her and fight for her. Ali’s shown some glimpses of that, but knows that she’s going to have to step up more than that for Ash to give her another chance. “I guess you got me on that one,” he supplies as he slides his board off the table and under his arm. “Alright enough of this talk for now. I feel like a high school girl gossiping right now,” he chuckles. “Let’s go hit some waves!”

“You got it,” Ash says with a smile as she tucks her board close to her side. “I’m going to go ride the ocean. The only temperamental girl I’m willing to get rocked by.”

 

……………

 

On a brisk, spring morning in D.C. a few days after the vote, Ali is sitting in her office gently twisting back and forth in her giant black leather office chair, attempting to respond to the flood of emails she’s gotten after the vote. She’s actually laughed a few times at some of the various profanity riddled tirades that her interns had let slip through the screening process into her inbox. It seems based on the emails she was reading through, that overnight her approval rating had gone from overall favorable, to completely polarized. One side views her as a hero, for standing up to big business and typical political obtrusiveness, while she’s become a pariah to the other, indescribable and unworthy of remaining in office. She’s reading through a particularly well-worded letter from the latter category when her secretary chimes in over the intercom.

“Congresswoman Krieger, you have a call on line 6,” the woman says, with slight trepidation in her voice.

Ali sighs and clicks the button on her phone. “Kelley, I thought I told you not to patch through any calls. Just take a message please.” She clicks off the line and turns back to the email to continue being berated through written word.

“I know, ma’am, but it’s the Satellite Beach Drug and Alcohol Rehab Facility. It’s about your brother.”

She immediately drops the pen that she was jotting down notes with and yanks the phone from the receiver. “Put them through immediately,” she gets out as her heart rate begins spiking. The last time she had gotten a phone call from them had not been on good terms and she was already thinking the worst.

“Hello, Ms. Krieger?” comes a voice from the other line.

“Hi, yes. What is going on with, Kyle? Is he okay? Did he somehow relapse?” Her tone is frantic and though she keeps talking and spewing out questions, she’s getting frustrated that the woman isn’t providing any answers.

“Ms. Krieger,” the woman says softly. Her tone is so comforting that Ali knows there will be bad news to follow. She sucks in a deep breath and waits. “We’re not entirely sure. He had a therapy session this morning and didn't show up. When we went to check on him, he was nowhere to be found.”

Ali’s hands start shaking and she can feel her eyes start to brim with tears. “What do you mean? Where is my brother?”

“I wish I could tell you,” she replies sadly. “We haven’t seen him since last night during rounds and calls to his cell phone go straight to voicemail.”

Ali pushes back from her chair and begins gathering things up in her purse. “Did you inform the police?” she asks in a heated tone.

“It hasn’t been forty-eight hours so they won’t take any information,” she replies a bit defensively, suddenly caught off guard by the younger woman’s tone.

“I am a god damn Congresswoman of the United States! You tell the Police Department that if they want to keep their funding and cushy pensions that they will have every available unit out there looking for him!”

“I will try my best,” she says, immediately caving to the Congresswoman’s requests.

Ali lets out a loud sigh. She feels bad for yelling, but it’s her brother and when it comes to family she will do anything to protect them. “Thank you. I am heading straight to the airport now. Please call me immediately if there are any updates.”

“Of course, Ms. Krieger.”

Now that she’s had a few moments to compose herself she thinks to ask one more question before she heads out. The question that will either heighten or reduce her fear and anxiety level. “Was he…was he doing okay before he disappeared? Or…or was he struggling?”

“He seemed to be doing well. He was clear minded in his therapy sessions all week and had a very positive outlook on things. He even had a visitor last night. The first one in a long time besides you so I’m sure he was very happy about that.”

Ali immediately sucks in a sharp breath as she anticipates what's coming. “Who was the visitor?”

“It was your father actually!” she says excitedly. “It’s not every day we have a U.S. Senator on the premises,” she adds with a little chuckle that grates Ali down to the bone.

“I’ll be there by this afternoon,” she says curtly before slamming down the phone and whispering to herself, “God damnit, dad. What did you do?”


	23. I'll Be Here

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you don't mind that I'm posting them as I'm churning them out!! 
> 
> Also, don't know if I need to put a warning on this or not, but this touches on drug and alcohol addiction.

After a hot and steamy shower to wash the salt water off from her surf session, Ash walks out of the bathroom and towards her dresser to a ringing cell phone. She drops her towel, exposing her still wet, naked frame and plucks the phone from her bed.

“Hey, Jenna,” she says with a smile as she answers it. “What’s up?”

On the other end of the line, Jenna sounds frantic. “Ash, Danny got hurt at work and I have to take him to the hospital for some stitches. Can you open the bar today and handle the lunch crowd?”

“Oh my god, Jen! Yeah, that’s no problem at all. Is he okay?” she asks with obvious concern as she tucks the phone between her shoulder and chin and quickly digs through her dresser to grab some clothes. After a quick glance at the clock she knows she doesn’t have long to get there.

“Yeah, yeah,” she replies with a bit more calmness than before. “It’s a pretty bad gash on his head, but they said he just needs stitches. They still have to run some head scans and tests though. I’ll call you after, okay?”

“Yeah keep me posted and don’t worry about the bar. I got it covered,” Ash replies quickly as she shimmies into some pants and heads to her closet to grab a shirt and some boots.

Jenna breathes a sigh of relief at Ash’s calming tone. “Okay. Thanks so much, Ash. You’re a life saver! I’ll talk to you later.”

“Good luck, Jen,” Ash replies before tossing the phone onto her unmade bed and turning her attention back to the hangers of clothes before her. She grabs a charcoal grey, three-quarter sleeve button up and quickly throws it on before slipping into and lacing up her black ankle boots. She twists her hair up into a bun and then grabs her keys off the kitchen table before hustling down the wooden steps to the parking lot where her Jeep is parked.

Once at the bar, she quickly takes the chairs down with the other part-time employee, Greg who is home for the summer from college and makes sure the cook is set in the kitchen before wandering into the back office to start some paperwork before the place opens. It’s only 11:30 so she still has a bit of time to get ahead on some paper work before the lunch crowd picks up.

She leans back in the creaky office chair and clicks open the email. There’s a few emails from vendors as well as well as some invoices she had requested be emailed over since Jenna seemed to misplace the actual ones and she’s sorting them into different folders as they print out when she hears two voices coming from the main room.

“Sorry dude, we’re not open,” she heard Greg say followed by the screech of a bar stool and a reply of, “It’s been quite a day. Can I please just have a beer?”

“We’re not open yet,” Greg repeats, and Ash can tell he sounds a bit agitated so she quickly pushes back from the desk and heads out there before things can escalate.

She wanders into the main room and sees Greg standing defensively with his arms crossed behind the bar and he meets her eyes when he sees her. “What’s the deal out here, Greg?” she asks as she sees the back of the man who has posted up at the bar.

“This asshole won’t leave. I told him we aren’t open ‘til noon,” Greg huffs as he points to the other man who’s sitting comfortably with his elbows propped up on the bar top, though his shoulders are slumped and from the back Ash can tell he looks upset.

She rounds the bar and after sharing a look with the guy she turns her attention to Greg. “Why don’t you go help Rob prep in the kitchen. I’ll take care of this,” she says with a tone of authority that Greg doesn’t think to question even though he’s irritated his boss isn’t backing him up.

“Sure,” he grumbles before pushing through the wooden double doors that lead to the tiny kitchen in back.

"You shouldn’t be here, Kyle,” Ash says once Greg has left the room. She walks over to where he’s sitting and hopes that his bloodshot eyes are from crying or lack of sleep and not because of a slip up. She doesn’t know his story, but has been around enough people in her lifetime that had drug problems to not wish it on anyone.

Kyle looks up at her and laughs. “Of course it would fucking be you,” he says in disbelief as makes eye contact with the blonde. “Can you just please get me a drink,” he asks pleadingly. “Stores won’t sell ‘til noon and I can’t fucking wait anymore.”

“Does your sister know you’re here?” Ash asks, prodding further into the situation.

Kyle shakes his head. “No one knows where I am and my sister has bigger problems to worry about. I can’t talk to her about this and I couldn’t find any meth on such short notice so can you just get me a fucking beer?”

“We’re not open yet so I can't ring anything through,” she replies. As much as she wants to tell him off for wanting to break his sobriety, she isn’t quite sure it’s her place.

Kyle scoffs and shakes his head. “I hear you have no problem giving out free drinks,” he replies cheekily. “I guess you only do that for girls like my sister who you just want to fuck.”

Ashlyn’s jaw drops as the words come out of Kyle’s mouth and she sees the vacant look behind his eyes. The few times she’s met him he’s been bubbly and wearing an infectious smile, but this version of his is completely different. This is the addiction talking. “It’s not like that. It was never like that with your sister.”

Kyle rolls his eyes. “You’re telling me that you weren’t just trying to get into her pants?” he asks incredulously, clearly not believing a word coming from Ashlyn’s mouth.

He has her on that one. “Well maybe that’s how it started, but it’s more than that. _Was_ more than that,” she quickly corrects, but Kyle catches it.

“Right. You must really care about her to wait all of twenty four hours before you get back with your ex or whoever that was,” he sneers. “I’ll make a bet with you. If you can honestly tell me right now to my face that you feel nothing for my sister and don’t want to see her again, you win and I’ll leave. If you can’t, then I win and you have to give me a beer.”

Ash thinks on it for a moment, but quickly knows the answer. She can’t lie, so she changes the subject. “Why are you here, Kyle? Why are you doing this?”

“Why are you bothering to pretend you care?” he asks with a challenging stare as his knuckles grow white from how tightly his fists are clenched. “I don’t mean anything to you. I’m just a crazy drug addict remember?” he adds with a cold laugh.

Ash walks over to him and stares into his red, glassy eyes as she places her hands over his and squeezes them tightly. “I was wrong to say that. You matter to Ali so yes, you matter to me. I may be extremely upset with what your sister did, but that doesn’t mean I don’t care what happens to her…or her family,” she quickly adds. “I’ve lost some close friends to addiction and from what I’ve heard from Ali about you, I know you’re stronger than this, Kyle. I know this isn’t you and that there’s other ways to deal with whatever you’re trying to process. You matter to a lot of people. You matter to this world. I’m not going to give you a beer so I can either drag you back to the rehab facility or you can tell me what’s going on in that mind of yours.”

Her tone is firm and demanding and it’s exactly what Kyle needs as he drops his head and breaks into tears as her words crack through the dam that had been holding back his emotions. “Can we talk somewhere other than here?” he gets out through his sobs.

Ash gives his hands a reassuring squeeze. “Of course. I know just the place. Give me one second, please,” she says before slipping into the back room. She lets Greg know that she’ll be out for a bit and to call her immediately with any emergencies and then walks out back into the bar where Kyle is waiting. “Ready?” she asks and gets a weak nod in return.

A few minutes later they pull up at the Surf Shop and she slips out of the Jeep. Kyle looks at her a bit strangely, but she sets his mind at ease. “I always find I do my best thinking and talking when I’m out in open water, with the sun and salt water splashing over me. What about you?” she says with a charismatic grin.

Kyle offers a weak smile that doesn’t quite expose his teeth as he follows behind into the store. “I suppose you’re on to something there.”

 

…….

 

“So,” Ash begins once they’ve paddled out and sat beyond the break in silence for a few minutes, “What happened?”

Kyle sighs as he looks out to the horizon, his back turned to the shore. “My dad came to visit,” he starts. He turns back to face Ashlyn. “Let’s just say I was reminded of how inadequate I am,” he adds with a cold laugh.

“Why do you say that?” Ashlyn asks. She really doesn’t know any of the story since her and Ali never actually talked about deep family stuff.

Kyle just stares blankly back at her. “You know my father is Senator Ken Krieger, right?” he asks. “And my sister is the 8th District Florida Congresswoman?”

Ash just dumbly nods wondering how this relates to Kyle’s current state.

“Well let’s just say having an addict son doesn’t look good for daddy’s political career, especially when his pride and joy baby girl just dropped a political bomb on Washington, D.C. Catch my drift?” Kyle asks with a sad expression.

Again Ash nods as she takes it all in. “How is Ali?” she asks softly.

Kyle grins and raises and eyebrow as he looks back at Ash, letting his hands dip in and out of the water as they hang at his sides. “You really do like her?”

“We’re here about you,” Ash replies with a chuckle. “Let’s not get into my life mess.”

“Fair enough.” Kyle shrugs and drops his eyes back down to the water. “Do you think I’ll ever be good enough for my family?” he asks a bit shyly after another few minutes of silence.

His words cut through to Ash’s core, the sad, childlike insecure tone reverberating through her chest as she looks at the dejected man slumped on the board in front of her. She wonders what got him to this point, what brought him to his knees and under the addiction spell. Was it to fit in? Was it to escape? Was it to be able to lose control in a strict family? She knows there so many reasons that people turn to drugs, but she still isn’t sure if it’s her place to push. He needs to open up and share what he is willing to on his own.

“I’m not going to pretend I know your story, Kyle,” she begins as she splashes some water on him to get his attention, “but I do know that you don’t have to become a Senator or Mayor or the goddamn President to be good enough for your family. Ali loves you and that alone lets me know that you’re a good person. And the fact that you’re seeking treatment shows you’re strong enough to beat your addiction. That alone is half the battle.”

Kyle sighs and stares deep into Ashlyn’s eyes, sensing that the blonde can actually see him, understand him. “So strong at the first sign of trouble I went running to a bar,” he says bitterly.

Ash shakes her head and waits for Kyle to again meet her eyes. She looks deep into his brown eyes, the ones that are so painful to look into because they remind her so intensely of Ali’s. “To be honest, I think you came to JJ’s hoping that I’d be there, that I’d stop you. You could have stopped at any bar along A1A on the way over, Kyle, but you chose the one place that you knew I worked. Ali might not be here at this exact moment to help so you came here. You may feel lost and helpless, but you still chose to be strong whether you want to see that or not.”

She sees a slight light of hope flicker through his cinnamon irises, even through the red, bloodshot cracks. “You really believe in me, huh?” he asks, with a tepid, unconvinced tone.

“I do,” she says. “If you ever need anything, I’ll be here. Okay? No matter what."

Kyle can sense that she means it and knows that she must have been deeply touched by some form of addiction of someone close to her. Normally people aren’t so hopefully optimistic of drug addicts or alcoholics, but he can see the hope in her eyes and knows she’s been in the situation before. “Thank you. That means more than you could know,” he says honestly.

“Trust me. I know,” she answers solemnly. “Now let’s catch a few waves before I need to get you back!”

Kyle nods and lets the conversation drop for now. He knows there’s more to the story, but isn’t going to push it. “Let’s do it!” he yells excitedly before paddling with a wave and letting it wash over him, carrying the insecurities and worries away with it.


	24. Proud of You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will probably be the only update today since I've got a lot going on today! Hope you enjoy :)

She doesn’t quite know why, but she’s nervous –the type of nervous where you begin sweating profusely- so she quickly wipes her forehead with her shirt sleeve before ringing the doorbell.

“Ashlyn, what are you doi- Kyle!” screams Ali as she pushes past Ashlyn and wraps her brother in a tight hug, nearly crushing him as she squeezes out all of the pent up fears and emotions. “Where the hell have you been, Kyle?” she demands as she pulls back, but still keeps her hands firmly gripping his arms. “What the hell happened!”

“I’m so sorry, Alex,” he begins, but is unable to finish as he dissolves into a mess of tears and sinks into his sister’s arms. “I’m so sorry I hurt you,” he whispers, still tucked in the safety and warmth of her arms.

Ali turns her head and makes eye contact with Ashlyn, suddenly wondering why she’s there, what she has to do with this. “Did you…did you find him?” she asks, her voice soft like a child who is afraid to know the real answer.

Ashlyn just nods, but doesn’t elaborate. She knows it’s Kyle’s story to tell first if he wants to. “He stayed strong,” is all she offers, letting Ali know that he hadn’t caved to his addiction, that he hadn’t broken his promise to her.

“Thank god,” she whispers into his hair as a wave of utter relief washes over her. She can’t imagine how much worse he would be if he had used, or if he would have even been alive. “Hey, look at me,” she says quietly as she gently prods Kyle’s head up. He finally meets her gaze with his sad, tired eyes which are still brimming with tears. “It’s okay, Kyle. This was just a tiny slip up and I’m proud of you for being strong, okay?”

The way she is so carefully cradling her brother -who is easily fifty pounds heavier than her and several inches taller- along with the caring, encouraging tone she is using with him surprises Ashlyn to no end. She expects Ali to be angry to yell at him for what he just put her though, but is very pleasantly surprised by the kind, compassionate side she is displaying as she reassures her brother of her unwavering love and support for him.

“I’m tired, Alex,” he whispers as he drops his eyes.

Ali sighs and looks at the rose gold, diamond studded Michael Kors watch on her wrist. She knows she should get him back soon, but honestly doesn’t have the heart to send him back yet. “Want to come in for a little bit and rest before I take you back?” she asks sweetly as she combs her fingers through his untamed hair.

Kyle nods and pushes past her into the house, heading directly to her bedroom without another word. Both women watch him silently retreat down the hall with concerned expressions on their faces. After he softly closes Ali’s door behind him, Ali turns and peaks out into the driveway where Ashlyn’s Jeep is parked.

“Thank you,” she says with all of the sincerity she possess. “Thank you for bringing him back to me,” she adds, her voice shaky as she feels her eyes begin to brim with tears as she thinks to what might have happened had Ashlyn not have been there.

Ashlyn’s heart is breaking before her as she watches the woman she regarded as so put together, crumble before her. Before she can stop herself, before she can remember the hurt and pain Ali caused her, the struggles and hardships she experienced in part, because of her, she’s at her side wrapping her up in a tight hug. “Shhh, it’s okay,” she whispers into Ali’s hair, her lips pressed softly to the brunette’s temple. “It’s okay, Alex.” She calmly rubs her back with one arm as she feels Ali begin shaking in her arms, letting her true emotions spill over. The emotions she had held in check for Kyle’s sake.

“Thank you,” Ali continues mumbling over and over into Ashlyn’s chest as she releases everything she had been holding in, her tears already soaking their way through the blonde’s thin button up. She knows there’s things she needs to do; find out what really happened, call the police, call her parents –if her father even cares-, call the clinic, but honestly the only thing she wants at the moment is to stay wrapped in Ashlyn’s arms. The arms that she had longed to be in every night, the arms she cried herself to sleep about, the arms she had come to realize she loved waking up in.

Finally, she gains enough composure to pull back and meet her eyes, concern laced through her hazel irises. “Ash, I can’t even begin to tell you how sorry I am for what I did,” she begins.

“Alex, we don’t need to go into that now,” Ash responds, letting her know that what’s happening with Kyle is more important.

But Ali doesn’t give in this time. Kyle told her to live for her and fight for what she wants and that’s exactly what she’s going to do. “No, Ashlyn. You’re important to me. More important than I could ever have imagined when whatever this was started.” She glances up and realizes she has the blonde’s undivided attention so she continues, taking Ash’s hands in her own. She pauses momentarily, caught off-guard by how soft and warm they feel and the memories that flash through her mind of what Ashlyn would do to her with them, but then quickly recovers. “You may not believe this, or may not care, but being here with you has helped me realize a lot of things. It helped me see that I am strong enough to make a difference, that I deserve happiness and that I may or may not be falling for you...hard. The day you found out, I actually came here to tell you all of that, Ashlyn. I’m so sorry for not being honest from the start. I’m not asking you to forgive me on the spot, but I just…I needed you to know that.”

Ashlyn looks down on the distressed brunette as the words sink in a bit. She already looks defeated, like she’ll be rejected and Ash honestly can’t stand to see the look of hopelessness on her face. She lifts Ali’s chin gently with her finger so their eyes are level. “What you did today with that bill, Alex. That was something special. I’m proud of you,” she whispers as she leans down and gently presses her lips to Ali’s.


	25. Glad That's Over

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think all you Kate haters will like this chapter!!
> 
> Also I've been doing some thinking and I can end this one in the next few chapters and it will be nice and happy, or I can kind of go down a new plot twist route and make it last a while longer, but it's going to be a bit more angsty and might break your hearts for a littlee before things eventually (hopefully) get resolved between the lovebirds. Thoughts?!

Ashlyn shows up to work the dinner shift the next day with a smile firmly planted on her lips. She slips into the office to take care of some paperwork before she hears Jenna calling for her from the main room. She sends a text back to Ali letting her know what time she was working until before tossing the phone back on the desk and making her way back out to the main dining room.

Jenna eyes her knowingly and quickly quirks an eyebrow. “Good night last night?” she asks with a tired smile since she had been up all night with Danny making sure his concussion symptoms hadn’t worsened.

Ash just nods and her smile grows a bit larger. “Welcome back,” she playfully chides. “And yeah I guess. It started out crappy, but ended pretty well,” is all she offers as she scoots by Jenna and pours herself a glass of water.

“Care to elaborate?” the Colombian replies as she follows Ash back behind the bar.

“Well don’t tell anyone this, but Ali’s brother ran away from the rehab place he’s at and he actually came here. I found him and took him surfing and to talk before giving him a ride back to Ali’s. We…we talked and things are better.”

Jenna looks back at her friend with a smile forcing its way onto her own lips at the blonde’s pure delight. “Just talk?” Jenna teases with a playful nudge.

“Just talked,” Ash grins. “I had to get back to the bar since you were out with Danny yesterday and besides with everything she went through with her brother I didn’t want to push it. She needed a different kind of comfort,” Ash finishes as she realizes how corny she sounds, a stark contrast to what she had been before. “We’ve been texting back and forth today and her brother is doing better. She took him back to the rehab place later last night after I left. We had a good talk, and maybe a little kiss too,” she adds with a smirk.

Jenna catches it as well and shakes her head. “You got it bad, Harris. What are you going to do about Kate?”

For the first time that day, Ashlyn’s smile drops. She honestly hadn’t thought about Kate all day and knows that’s answer enough as to what she should do, but hates being the bad guy. “I don’t know,” she grumbles, shooting Jenna a glare for ruining her good vibe.

“You better figure it out real quick and make your choice before this all blows up like a bomb in your face,” she says with a chuckle, picturing the last time the two women were on the same premises and how that ended for her friend. “Speak of the devil,” she says and nods towards the door where Kate has just entered, looking cute in her white skinny pants and light blue semi-transparent button up.

Ash turns and tries to force a smile onto her lips as the perky blonde quickly approaches. “Hey, Kate. What are you doing here?” she asks while trying to hide the lukewarm tone of her voice.

“You said to come by some night and I could take you out for that date,” she says with a charming smile. “So here I am!”

Ash takes a deep breath and hears Jenna chuckle next to her before whispering, “tick tock, tick tock, tick tock,” and making her way to the other end of the bar to give them some privacy.

Ash knows there’s actually no decision to be made, that her mind and body has already made it, but seeing Kate standing before her all dressed up and genuinely excited isn’t making it any easier. It appears that her hesitation doesn’t go unnoticed as Kate’s smile quickly falls.

“Is now not a good time?” she asks, cautiously optimistic.

With a sigh Ash leans across the bar and meets her eyes. “Kate,” she begins and immediately sees the other woman’s shoulders slump. Still, she continues on, “I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but I need to be honest with you. You are an amazing girl and I appreciate the efforts you’ve gone through to try and fix things between us, but…”

“But you want to be with that Congresswoman, not me?”

Her words catch Ash off guard, but she figures there’s no reason to deny it. “Kate, my heart just isn’t in it this time around. That wouldn’t be fair to you and we would end up in the same situation again. Neither of us want that.”

Kate looks sad, although a bit more pissed off. She pulls her phone from her pocket and looks down at it before meeting Ashlyn’s gaze again. “I really need to take this call for work,” she states and holds her phone up. “Can I use your office quick so it will be quiet and then we can finish this talk?”

Ash nods and points towards the office down the hall. “Of course. Take your time, I’ll be here waiting.”

Kate offers a smile before heading down the hallway just as the front door swings open and another familiar face slips in. This time though, Ashlyn’s whole face lights up as the woman approaches the bar.

“Hey!” she says excitedly as Ali saunters over, dressed in a form fitting black dress. “To what do I owe the honor?” she asks jokingly as she lets her eyes shamelessly wander Ali’s body.

“I believe I owe you a rather large thank you,” Ali says with a devilish grin that makes Ashlyn feel a heartbeat between her legs.

“Is that so?” she asks with a smirk. “And how do you intend to do that?”

Ali leans over the bar and wiggles her finger to bring Ashlyn in closer. “I was thinking we could put that back office to use again,” she whispers seductively and grins when she hears Ashlyn gulp. For good measure she adds, “I’m not wearing any underwear and I’ve really, really missed you.”

Ashlyn pulls back with wide, lust filled eyes, wanting nothing more than to take Ali up on her offer, but quickly realizes why that can’t happen. In the name of honesty, something they promised they’d have, she grabs Ali’s hands and holds them tightly. “Alex, don’t be mad, but-”

“Fancy seeing the famous Congresswoman Krieger here. Don’t you have a career to finish ruining?” comes a voice from behind them and Ashlyn and Ali quickly whip around to see Kate standing behind them, arms crossed.

“Did I interrupt something, Ash?” Ali asks as she turns to the blonde with a skeptical look, her own arms crossing protectively over her chest.

Ashlyn hears something along the lines of “boom” whispered by Jenna as she quickly passes behind her to fill an order and can’t help but groan at her absolute crap timing. “No you didn’t, Ali. Kate was just leaving actually,” she says with an assured tone.

Kate looks back at her incredulously. “Oh was I?”

Ashlyn nods. “Yes. You were.”

Kate scoffs but grabs her purse off the back of the bar stool. “Alright. Glad to know I wasted even more time on your sorry ass,” she says angrily. “At least you found a rich girl that can support you while you work in a bar for the rest of your life. Have fun while it lasts," she adds spitefully in Ali's direction before storming out of the bar in a huff.

“Charming,” Ali says with a slight grin when she sees Ashlyn roll her eyes.

Ash just lets out a sigh, glad at least that part is over. “Yeah that was the Kate I know,” she says, pointing to where the front door had just been slammed shut hard enough to rattle some pictures on the wall.

“She’s wrong,” Ali says sweetly and Ash lifts her eyes, thankful Ali doesn’t think she’s a pathetic loser, until she leans in and whispers, “You don’t have a sorry ass. You have a really, really nice ass.”

With an eye roll Ash leans over and kisses Ali hard on the lips. “Want to see it up close and in person? Say right now? In my bed?”

Ali taps her chin with a mischievous grin appearing to be deep in thought. “There’s nothing else I’d rather do. Let’s go,” she says challengingly as she turns and heads to her car without even waiting for a response.


	26. Let Me Take Care of You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The masses have spoken lol I'm going to keep going with this one and hopefully find a happy medium for you all. I need one thing to occur to kind of move the story along but the couple will stay firmly in tact so there's no worry there!!

When Ashlyn pulls up to her apartment ten minutes later and climbs the wooden steps to the back door, she sees Ali leaning against the sliding door with her arms crossed and a small smile on her full lips.

“What took you so long?” Ali asks as she wraps her arms around Ashlyn’s waist from behind while she tries to open the door. She enjoys the warmth radiating off the blonde and snuggles in closer while letting her fingers ghost the skin just above Ashlyn’s waistband.

Ash gets the lock undone and opens the door so they can slip inside. “I had to help Jen out with something quick,” she says as she turns in Ali’s arms so their face to face and leans down for a kiss which quickly deepens. “I’m all yours now though,” she says with a soft smile as she pulls back to look into Ali’s eyes. When she does she can see that they’re no longer dark with desire, they look a bit empty and tired.

“Good,” Ali gets out through a yawn as she raises her arms to wrap around Ashlyn’s neck and pulls her down for another kiss.

Ash lets herself fall into the kiss for a minute, but she can immediately tell Ali isn’t all the way into it as she guides them back to the bed. “You look tired, Alex,” she says as Ali’s fingers find their way to the bottom of her shirt.

“Mmm I am, but I missed you,” she gets out as she slides Ashlyn’s shirt up and grazes her fingers over her toned abs.

Ash thinks to let it go on, but then another yawn, only louder this time, slips out of her mouth. “Alex,” she says, breaking the kiss and reaching her hands down to still Ali’s wandering fingers. “I know you didn’t sleep after everything that happened last night,” she says as she guides Ali onto the bed. “We don’t have to do this. Let me take care of you.”

At this point, Ali is too tired and weak to fight it. “Are you sure?” she asks with a yawn as she lays her head down on the pillow and feels Ashlyn gently taking off her heels.

“Positive,” Ash replies as she lightly kisses up her legs after dropping her heels to the floor. “Are you going to sleep in that dress?” she asks with a chuckle when she sees Ali getting comfortable and snuggling into her covers.

“You just wanna see me naked,” Ali mumbles into the soft white comforter with a small grin which makes Ashlyn laugh.

“As much as I do, I was just asking so I could get you some clothes to change into.”

“You’re sweet,” Ali says sleepily as she covers another yawn before rolling onto her stomach so Ash can unzip her dress for her.

The blonde just smiles down at her sweetly as she slowly tugs the zipper down and tenderly slips it over her shoulders, careful not to disturb her too much. She tries to slide a t-shirt on over her head, but Ali groggily fights it so she decides to just strip down herself to get on Ali’s level and slip into the bed behind her. She wraps her arms tightly around Ali’s waist and pulls her in tight, letting her floral perfume and tropical shampoo fill her senses. With a kiss to her temple she whispers, “Goodnight, Alex,” to the already sleeping brunette.

……

Ali rolls over expecting to find Ashlyn’s warm body on the other side of the bed, but instead her hand is left exploring cold sheets and pillows. She props herself up a bit to look around and sees that the studio apartment is also empty. With a small frown on her face, she wraps the sheet around her shoulders and slips out of bed to head into the kitchen area.

Her frown is quickly replaced with an earnest grin when she sees a few small flowers sticking out of an old Coke bottle vase sitting on top of a sloppily handwritten note.

 _Alex,_  
_I missed having you in my arms. I’m glad we found our way back to each other and I can’t wait to see where things go. As much as I wish I could have stayed wrapped around you all morning, there’s some things I needed to take care of. Feel free to stay until whenever and let yourself out the back door. Feel free to stop by the bar later if you have some free time today. I’d love to see you._  
_XO Ash_

She clutches the note to her chest after reading it a few times, shocked at how quickly things have changed in the matter of two days. Before, their relationship had been built purely on sex, but the last few days showed that there was so much more to it than that. There was compassion and trust and an underlying need to take care of one another. Ashlyn had shown her in more ways than one that she was exactly the type of person she needed in her life. Coming to his aid when Kyle landed on her doorstep, showing Kate the way out when she showed up to disrupt what they had again begun building, and even the night before when she laid Ali down to sleep and held her tightly, despite the carnal instincts that were pumping through both of them. It was unexpected, but suddenly very much appreciated. This version of Ashlyn Harris, the one she had only gotten brief glimpses of before, was something she looked forward to seeing more of. Now all that was left was to show her that the real Alexandra Krieger was worthy of it all.

 

……

When Ali pulls up in front of her condo, she’s surprised to see Eli there, leaning against the driver’s car with his arms crossed over his chest. It surprises her since there is a light rain and a strong breeze and usually Eli hates the elements, but then she knows this must be serious and he wants her to know it from the start.

“To what do I owe the pleasure?” Ali asks sarcastically as she gets out of her car and walks around to meet Eli.

“Well since you decided to ignore all of my calls and text messages, I figured the only way to get a hold you was to come down here myself. At first I thought maybe the reception was bad with the storm coming in,” he jokes, “but now I see why you’ve been MIA. How is our favorite blonde bartender?” he asks with a raised eyebrow.

Ali is irritated as she walks by Eli towards the front door of her house and rummages around on the ring for the proper key so that they can get inside and out of the rain that is threatening to pick up. “For your information, Eli, I’ve been working on things for Kyle. You know my brother who ran away from rehab because my father came down to remind him of how big of a failure he thinks he is. Was there a point to that?” she asks, her voice dripping with disdain.

“Alexandra, I had nothing to do with that. I do not control your father an-“

“No, you just think you control me!” Ali says as she whips around to face Eli, her eyes glowing red with anger. “Why did you come here?”

Eli takes a few steps back. “I came here to make sure you were doing alright,” he says with a hint of concern. “Believe it or not, I do care about you and your brother and I’ve actually had a few words with your father,” he says with a slight chuckle.

Ali softens a bit at this, imaging Eli talking back to her father. It’s a strange thought and she’s honestly not quite sure she believes it. “Well you checked and I’m fine. So thank you for coming down, but I won’t need any assistance for the time being while I deal with this _family_ matter.”

“But reelection Is coming up-“ he begins until the daggers from Ali’s eyes tell him to immediately shut up.

“Reelection, Eli? That’s why you’re here? Did you learn nothing from the last week!” she says and throws her hands up in the air in disbelief. “I’m tired of being dragged through the mud, Eli. I could care less about the Krieger name too. After what my father did, I want nothing to do with him. He doesn’t even have the decency to call me back after it all! I can’t even think about reelection right now,” she says with a shudder at the thought.

With slumped shoulders, Eli already looks defeated and he weakly nods. “Very well, Ms. Krieger. Just please take some time to consider it. The polls don’t actually have you too far behind after that stunt you pulled.”

His words are meant to be encouraging, but are anything but to Ali. “Get out, Eli,” she says with a disappointed shake of her head. “I will see you when I get back to D.C. next week. Tell anyone that asks that I’m taking some personal time off for family reasons. Let them think whatever they want to think about it.”

“Yes, Alexandra,” he replies with his hand on the doorknob. “If you need anything at all, please don’t hesitate to call.”

Ali nods and watches as he slips out the front door and into the backseat of the black Sedan. She wanders into the bedroom to get changed. Though she has a few work-related calls to make first, she honestly can’t wait to see Ashlyn again. 

She can’t wait to start showing Ashlyn the real Alexandra Krieger, who isn’t defined by a last name or her job or what everyone else expects of her. She’s excited to show her the version Ali Krieger that is slowly, but surely falling in love with Ashlyn Harris, the Surf Shop owner from Satellite Beach.


	27. For the People I Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ash is stepping up to the plate again!

Ali pulls into the driveway of JJ’s just after noon. She’s dressed simply, in a dark pair of khaki capris and a loose light gray shirt with her hair pulled over her shoulders. She feels comfortable and freer than when she’s crammed in her expensive tailored suits which are handpicked by her stylist with frequent input from Eli. After locking her car and tossing the keys into her purse she quickly runs into the bar to escape the torrential downpour, but once she’s inside she shakes her head to rid some of the water from it.

Across the bar she sees Ashlyn with her back towards her while she fills a drink order. Form the way she’s mixing fresh mint leaves into it, Ali figures it’s a mojito and as if on cue, Ashlyn shifts to the side to reveal just the kind of girl who drinks them. As she stirs the drink, Ash is chatting up the cute, petite red head with her hair in too fancy of an updo to be in small town beach bar, but Ali knows it’s all for show. Bartenders thrive off tips and she knows who Ash is coming home with at the end of the night. Besides, she’d spend her whole life mad if she got upset everyone time someone tried to talk with Ash, she couldn’t blame them for trying.

As if she needed any more reassurance, the moment Ashlyn turns around and spots Ali sitting by the bar her entire face lights up. “Hey, beautiful!” she chimes as she passes the woman her drink and quickly excuses herself.

A smile becomes plastered on Ali’s face as well when Ash eagerly leans over the bar to plant a chaste kiss on her lips to stake her claim.

“What are you doing here?” Ash asks with a grin as she lets her hand drop on top of Ali’s which was resting on the bar top.

“Well I heard there’s this super sexy bartender that gives out drinks to cute girls,” Ali jokes with a teasing glint in her eyes.

Ash quickly retracts her hand and sets Ali straight. “No, no, no. Only beautiful women. You,” she says as she points to Ali, “free drinks. Her,” she adds and points to the redhead winking at her from across the bar, “she’ll pay up every penny,” she whispers so only Ali can hear, a wide grin sliding across her face.

This gets an eye roll out of Ali who seems to never stop smiling when she’s around the charming blonde. “Well in that case, I’ll have Scotch on the rocks,” Ali says with a smile. “And get one for yourself on my tab,” she adds with a mischievous grin.

Ash laughs as she walks away and Jenna comes into the main room. “Hey, Ali!” she says as she takes her seat next to the brunette. “Long time, no see,” she adds with a raised eyebrow. She can tell by the way that Ali immediately fidgets in her seat that she’s uncomfortable, but as Ashlyn’s best friend she’s got to make sure the girl is legit.

“Yeah. I’ve been out of town a lot,” Ali meekly offers as she waits for Ashlyn to come back with her drink and to save her from the slaughterhouse. Unfortunately, the red head from across the bar has found a reason to hold her up with pointless questions about different types of scotch that she’ll never be able to stomach anyways.

“Right,” Jenna says and then lets the awkward silence hang between them for a few moments. “Ash is a really special person, Ali,” she finally starts, leveling her gaze with Ali’s to make sure she’s really listening. “She’s an amazing woman and deserves to be treated as such. I don’t know exactly what’s going on between you two or with your job or whatever, but I know that she deserves the best. Are you going to give that to her?”

The look Ali is receiving from Jenna is enough to make her want to climb under a rock and hide. It’s the look you can only get from an angry, extremely protective Colombian and it’s all she can do to nod her head until she can check her terror and find the right words. “Yes...yes I can. I know I messed up in not being truthful from the start, but I didn’t even know myself how I felt until it was too late.”

“No more lies?” Jenna asks with a raised eyebrow.

“One hundred percent truth,” Ali says and sticks out her pinky finger for Jenna to promise.

The other woman laughs and takes Ali’s finger. “I’ve never pinky promised with a Congresswoman before,” she says with a chuckle as Ashlyn comes back over with three Scotch’s in hand.

“Jenna, you’re not scaring her away are you?” Ash asks with a slight hint of concern in her voice. Not that she thinks Ali will scare that easy, she just knows how overbearing her friend can be at times.

The Colombian shakes her head and takes the drink from Ash’s hand. “No I’m just making sure she’s done fucking around with you,” she says in a teasing tone that still holds a hint of warning. “I’ve got to get going anyways,” she says before finishing her few sips of Scotch. “Danny has another set of tests they need to run so I’ll be stuck at hospital all night. Hopefully this damn rain dies down,” she adds with a glance to the whipping wind outside.

Ash nods. “Yeah keep an eye out. It’s purposively just a tropical storm moving through but you know how these things are.” It’s been awhile since they had a big storm and everyone is just glad that this one doesn’t look to threatening as it moves in from the coast.

Jenna smiles and pushes back from the bar. “Well, just keep me posted. It was nice to see you again, Ali,” she says, directing her attention to the older woman. “Hopefully you stick around this time,” she adds and pats her on the back gently before grabbing her rain coat out of the closet in her office.

“It really is nasty out there, isn’t it?” Ash asks as she looks around Ali and out the open door that Jenna just exited out of.

After swallowing her sip of Scotch Ali nods and points her hair. “How else do you think my hair would get this messed up when I just did it this morning?” she asks dramatically.

“I think it looks sexy,” Ash says as she cuts through the space between them to steal another kiss from Ali. “And I can’t wait to see how sexy you look after I’m done getting you naked tonight,” she adds with a cocky smirk.

As much as the statement gets her blood pumping, it also gets her mind churning. “Ash,“ she says quietly. “What are we doing?”

“What do you mean?” Ashlyn responds, a bit taken back by the question. It certainly wasn’t the response to her suggestive words that she was expecting.

Ali sighs as she swishes the last few sips of Scotch and ice cubes around in her glass. As much as she wants to keep things light and playful, she needs to ask what’s been eating away at her since Ashlyn showed up on her doorstep with Kyle in tow. “I mean like…what are we? What are we honestly doing? I know the sex is mind blowing and I really enjoy being around you, but what even is this?”

Ashlyn looks a bit like a deflated balloon as she tries to quickly process what she’s been trying to since she met Ali. “Uh…I don’t know. What do you want to be?” she asks a bit nonchalantly.

“I want to be with you, Ash,” she states simply, laying everything on the line.

“You…you do?” Ash replies, her face unable to hide the shock she was experiencing.

Ali rolls her eyes at the blonde’s complete unawareness of the situation. “Yes. I do.” She spells it out plainly for her in simple terms so that maybe she can finally grasp it, finally understand Ali’s true feelings after they’ve danced around each other for so long. She’s hoping for a similar confession from Ash, but it isn’t meant to be as a picture flashing across the TV screen in the bar catches her attention.

The headline, **BREAKING NEWS: KRIEGER FAMILY ROCKED WITH MORE DRAMA** , is plastered across the screen along with pictures of Kyle partying from a few years back and then being seen entering the rehab facility. The headline changes to **SENATOR’S SON, KYLE KRIEGER IN AND OUT OF REHAB FOR DRUG ADDICTION.**

“Turn this up,” Ali demands, her voice void of any emotions as her eyes remain fixated on the screen.

Ashlyn turns and catches what’s on the screen and her face immediately falters when she sees something else on the screen. Text messages. Her text messages. Screen shots of her text messages with Ali about Kyle almost relapsing from the night before.

“Where did they get those Ashlyn?” Ali asks, her eyes welling up with tears that Ash is quick to wipe away with the pad of her thumbs.

“I swear it wasn’t me. I promise, Alex. Someone must have gotten my phone. Kate maybe when I left it in the office the other day?” she supplies as she wracks her brain for any type of explanation as her face is now plastered on the TV screen along with the headline, **ALEXANDRA KRIEGER SEEN OUT ON THE TOWN WITH LOCAL BARTENDER, ASHLYN HARRIS.**

“Is Senator Ken Krieger losing control of his family, along with the Senate?” prompts the newscaster who comes onto the split screen, next to images of Ashlyn and Ali out surfing and kissing outside of JJ’s.

“Shit,” Ali mumbles. “This is honestly the last thing I needed.” She drops her face into her hands and wishes it would all just go away. The media, the drama, the life of a politician where everyone is digging to find your deepest darkest secret.

“Can they not know about us?” Ashlyn asks a bit sadly, thinking Ali isn’t out or doesn’t want to be known for dating a bartender, or being out.

Ali shakes her head and dismisses the notion immediately. “Ash, I could care less about what they say about me. It’s Kyle I worry about. He doesn’t handle this stuff well,” she says, her voice laden with concern. “I just know they’re going to be all over me and the rehab place trying to get more on this story. I need to go get him.”

“No,” Ash states firmly. “If you go get him it’s only going to make it worse. You should go home and turn off the TV and your phones and ignore anyone at your door. I’ll get Kyle on a bus to your mother’s house. She lives farther inland right?” she asks in total take-control-mission-mode that Ali finds endearing and kind of hot at the same time.

“Uh yeah,” Ali responds, not used to having someone take control of the situation like Ash just did. Usually it’s her giving out the orders. “Kyle should know the address.”

“Okay. Go home, Alex. I’ll leave to get Kyle now and,” she glances at her watch as sees it’s almost 12:30, “hopefully get him on the 1pm bus to Miami. I have to come back here for a little, but I’ll be over tonight as soon as I can, okay?”

Ali numbly nods as she processes what just happened, what Ash is willing to do for her without her even asking. “Your face is out there too, Ash. They’re going to come for you too. Are you sure you don’t want to just bunker at your place and let me get Kyle? I don’t want to drag you into all of this.”

Ashlyn stops packing her bag and looks back to Ali with sincerity in her eyes. She takes her hands gently in her own and brings them to her lips. “Listen, Alex. I’m in this with you. Remember when I told you I’d do anything for the people I love? Well this is one of those circumstances. Now get out of here before it’s too late.”

Ali lets the candid confession pass without question. They’re in a hurry and she doesn’t want to waste time analyzing semantics so she smiles sweetly back at Ashlyn and places a quick kiss on her cheek. “Thank you, Ash.”

“Of course,” she replies with a warm smile. “I’ll take care of this, but you need to get out of here. Go home, lock the doors and turn everything off. I’ll be over as soon as I can, alright? Everything is going to be okay.”

Ali nods and then quickly slips off the bar stool. She pulls her shirt up over her head to block out some of the rain as she runs back to her BMW through the pelting rain. Once in the car, she makes the quick drive back to her house, this time pulling the car into the garage incase her yard becomes filled with members of the media. After making sure all of the doors and windows are locked, she wanders into the bedroom, and quickly changes into some sweats before turning her phone off and settling into bed. It isn’t long before the stressful events and lack of sleep catch up to her and she drifts off into a restless sleep.


	28. The Only Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know some other people are understandably deleting or locking their stories with what's happened lately, but as of now I'm not planning on doing either. I write for my enjoyment as much as yours and would like to keep bringing my stories to you all!!
> 
> Anyways... Here's an update and thanks for being amazing and sticking with me :)

“Can I help you?” asks the woman behind the desk as she looks up at Ashlyn who just stormed into the facility, her hair windblown and clothes soaked from the torrential downpour taking place outside.

Ash quickly shakes off some of the water before stepping closer to the desk so the woman who is currently gathering files into large banker boxes can hear her whisper. “I’m here to speak to Kyle Krieger.”

“I’m sorry,” says the woman dismissively as she waves Ashlyn off and returns her focus to the stacked files on the desk. “Mr. Krieger is not taking any visitors. I’ll tell the same thing to any of the other media members who decide to show up here.”

“Oh, uh…I’m not from the media,” Ash quickly states, but stumbling over her words doesn’t help her case.

The woman stops for a moment and glances up over the brim of her glasses, realizing that the blonde does look somewhat familiar. “Are you-“

“Yes, I’m the girl from the news. Congresswoman Krieger sent me to get her brother and send him to Miami with his mother until this all dies down.”

It takes only a moment for the woman to process it all before she finally nods. The last thing she wants is a huge media storm surrounding the place anyways. “Follow me. I’ll take you to his room.”

She leads Ashlyn down the long, bleak hallway, swiping her access card several times to get through different locked door. Ash is a bit taken back by the incredible amount of security in the building, even though it was a voluntary, self-surrender rehab clinic. They finally reach the end of the hall and the woman knocks on the white, wooden door. A few moments later, the door opens and a tired looking Kyle opens the door.

“Ash?” he says, his tone a bit shocked since his family had been the only ones to ever visit him and after everything that happened that day he figured Ali would be the first to show up.

“Can I come in to talk?” she asks, cutting to the chase and casting a glance at the woman next to her to let her know they needed some privacy. She quickly takes the hint when Kyle nods and makes her way back to the front desk.

“Is everything okay?” he asks quickly in a panicked voice as he pulls Ash into the room and shuts the door behind them. “Where’s Alex? Did she see the news?”

“We don’t have a lot of time, Kyle. I sent your sister back to her house and put her in lockdown mode. I need to get you out of here to stay with your mother for a bit so we can deal with all of this and keep you out of the media spotlight. Are you okay with that?” she asks honestly, not wanting to pressure him into leaving the rehab facility if he didn’t think he could handle it.

Kyle quickly nods and begins digging through his dressers to pack a bag. “Yes. I will be good at my mom’s. She’s always been supportive,” he tells Ash as he tosses a tooth brush, comb and razor into the side pocket of the black Nike duffle bag. “Are you sure Ali will be okay?”

“I’m heading there as soon as I can after I get you on the bus,” Ash supplies quickly as she helps him pack up the rest of his things. “Hopefully we can get you out on the 1pm to Miami and the storm isn’t affecting the bus route yet.”

Kyle does a quick last second scan of his room before turning back to Ashlyn. “Okay. I think I’m good, at least for a little while,” he says while zipping up his backpack where he had placed some notebooks, his laptop, camera and plethora of chargers for all of the devices.

Ash grabs his backpack from his bed while Kyle slings the duffle over his shoulder. “I’ll go out the back door. Can you pick me up there?”

She nods and grabs a spare hoodie of his to pull over herself in case any of the media has shown up. Hopefully, the storm was deterring them from camping outside, but you never know with paparazzi. “Sure thing,” she says as she slips out of the room and makes her way through the mazes of hallways towards the front parking lot.

After informing the receptionist of the plan and signing Kyle out with Ali’s signature, she quickly peeks outside and breathes a sigh of relief when there’s no media. _Maybe the storm is something to be thankful for_ , she thinks as she makes the mad dash to her Jeep, thankful that she had thought to put the top on when the forecast called for rain all week.

Kyle is waiting patiently under the back awning when Ash finally pulls around. He tosses his bag in the back and then jumps into the passenger seat. “So I’m guessing things are better between you and my sister?” he asks with a quirked eyebrow.

Ash flushes a bit, unthankful that it’s now her time to be grilled, but nods. “I guess you could say that. There’s obviously still a lot to talk about and work through, this being a major example, but I think we both realized that we care a lot more about each other than we let on.”

Kyle contemplates it for a moment as he points out where Ash needs to turn. “So you’ve decided she’s not such a bad person after all?” he asks with a poignant expression.

Ash makes the turn and then meets his eyes briefly. “Kyle, I was upset and didn’t mean what I said. I felt like she was personally responsible for taking something my father and I worked so hard for my whole life. I still haven’t gotten the full story.”

“Well you should get it,” Kyle says nonchalantly. “My sister is a pretty amazing woman. I know firsthand from what she’s done for me.”

As Ash pulls into the bus lot she sees the 201 to Miami parked in the lot and quickly filling up. “And what was that?”

“She can tell you that story,” Kyle says with a wink as he slips out of the car and grabs his bag. “Let’s go put me on a bus to momma’s house,” he adds while pulling his hoodie over his head to remain in incognito mode as they slink into the bus terminal to get his ticket.

They get up to the counter and the man standing behind the glass looks less than pleased to be there. He keeps glancing at the clock and then back to the large TV screen behind him with the radar pulled up on the Weather Channel.

“One ticket to Miami on the one pm bus,” Kyle says, checking that the bus is still parked outside and the clock reads 12:55pm.

The man looks at him and then back to his computer screen. “She need one too?” he asks with a glance to Ash who still has her hood covering her head.

Kyle shakes his head and slips his card under the glass. “Just one please.”

The gruff looking older man grabs it and quickly slides it through the credit card reader. “You’re lucky. There’s only two tickets left and it’s the last bus out today. We’re just about to close up,” he adds while waiting for the ticket to print.

“Why?” asks Kyle.

The man turns and points to the TV screen behind him which is now laden with bright red and orange swirling clouds and bold warning headlines. “They just upgraded this system from a tropical storm to a hurricane warning. Telling everyone on the coast to evacuate and head inland until it passes,” he says while shoving the credit card and ticket back to Kyle through the small hole cut in the bottom of the window. “This and the 1:00pm to Orlando are the last bus we’re sending out and then we’re closing up until we get the go ahead from the National Weather Service. Today’s about the only day I would hate being one of those rich people living on the beach,” he says with an unaware chuckle, turning around to go tend to something else.

Kyle and Ashlyn’s jaws drop immediately as they turn to face each other with wide eyes. “Alex,” Ash whispers as she pushes Kyle towards the bus and sprints back to her Jeep.


	29. In This Together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ash to the rescue!

Ashlyn’s not sure how she makes it back to Ali’s house through the sideways rain and blowing debris and the mixture of concern and frustration coursing through her veins as she tries to call Ali countless times to no avail. With the amount of things she’s had to drive over in the middle of the road she’s so thankful she had the Jeep, otherwise she likely wouldn’t have made it. There a few close calls with signs tearing off buildings and small palm trees scattering the deserted roads, but she finally pulls into Ali’s driveway, pulling up as close as she can get to the garage to save herself and soon Ali, from the pelting rain as much as possible.

She yanks open the door of her Jeep and pulls the hoodie tightly around her face for protection as she sprints towards the front door. It’s locked and she curses under her breath at the onetime the sassy brunette actually decides to listen to her. As she pounds on the door and rings the doorbell, she glances through the windows which as expected, haven’t been covered by the hurricane shutters and are almost fluctuating with the wind. With a quick look through the front window and at the neighboring houses it’s easy to tell that the power has gone out along the whole street. It’s still early afternoon, but the thick, swirling clouds above have made it impossibly dark out.

“ALEX!” she screams as she pounds on the door, but knows it’s pointless over the whistling wind. With a frustrated, but worried sigh, she pulls herself out from the cover of the front porch and runs to the side of the house. Once she’s over the fence, she can see the furious storm hasn’t even fully hit it’s max by the way the waves farther out in the ocean are beginning to crest higher than she’s ever seen. Luckily, Ali’s house is quite a ways up from the beach and the water has only risen about five feet vertically, but she prays the storm surge isn't too high or they’ll be in serious trouble.

Returning her focus to the house, she finds what she thinks is Ali’s bedroom window and peaks inside. Somehow through the raging storm, Ali is soundly asleep on her bed, exhaustedly passed out from the stressful day. Ashlyn’s heart is beginning to beat double time as she sees the trees nearly snapping in half with the wind. She needs to get inside to Ali and they need to get inland immediately.

“ALEX!” she yells again as she hits the bedroom window with her palm.

There’s a bit of movement and Ali groggily lifts her head from the pillow. She can hear the wind howling and even though her phone is off and alarm clock is dead, she knows it can’t be nighttime yet, despite the darkness surrounding her. Her ears pick up another distinct sound and she quickly whips her head around where she sees a hooded figure pounding on the door.

Her heart catches in her chest and she’s terrified until she makes eye contact. Even through the raindrop stained windows, she would know those eyes anywhere. In an instant she leaps out of bed and sprints to the front door where Ash is quick to meet her.

“Ashlyn what are you doing?!” she asks frantically as she pulls the blonde in and slams the door shut behind her, immediately turning around to check her for injuries. She’s dripping wet and covered in dirt from the blowing debris, but thankfully had lucked out and not been caught by anything blowing with the wind. She’s shivering though so Ali grabs a thick, fleece blanket from the couch and wraps it around her, paying no mind that it’s white and a $200 blanket that was a gift from a foreign ambassador.

She drops her hands to Ashlyn’s shoulders and rubs them up and down to try and warm her. “Ash,” she says again, noticing that the blonde is in a bit of shock. “What’s going on? Why were you outside in the storm like that?”

The mention of the storm is enough to snap Ash out of her stupor. “Alex, we have to get out of here. They issued a hurricane warning and sent out an evacuation order. We need to get out of here immediately. You have less than one minute to grab whatever you need to,” she says hurriedly as she pushes Ali towards her bedroom so she can grab a change of clothes. “The water is already rising and it’s not safe here.”

“Are you serious?” Ali asks, her voice high-pitched to show her disbelief as she kicks into action mode, despite her sleepy state. The adrenaline has begun to surge as she grabs a bag from the closet and begins to shove a few pairs of clothes in it. “Grab my laptop and charger from my office, Ash!” she orders as she runs into the master bathroom to grab her toiletries.

Ash obliges and they meet in the foyer just as they hear a large cracking noise cut through the air, followed by a loud smash. It startles both of them enough to pause for a moment.

“What was that?” Ash asks, wide-eyed. She’s been through storms before, but usually isn’t so late to evacuate and this seems worse than any she’s stayed put for. The rain is literally coming in horizontally and she can see the bending trees.

“Not sure. Let’s go,” Ali responds as she pulls a rain coat over her shoulders. She rips open the front door and instantly her jaw drops.

A huge palm tree has snapped in half from the intense winds; half of it still sticking out of the ground, the other half, laying soundly across the roof of Ashlyn’s Jeep, which is almost bent in half under the weight of the tree.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Ash says through clenched teeth, her jaw is tight and Ali can see it pulsing. “What are we going to do?” she finally asks, tearing her eyes away from her destroyed car. There’s no salvaging it and no way that they can finagle Ali’s car out of the garage around it, not that a BMW would be safe to drive in the current conditions anyways.

Ali thinks on it for a moment. She glances down at her phone which is low on battery and has no signal. “Does your phone have a signal? Mine doesn’t.” Ali says as she gently tugs Ash back into the house and shuts the door.

After digging in her pocket for a moment, Ash pulls her phone out. “Damn it. The cell tower must be out. I don’t have any service either.” She looks at Ali with a panicked look in her eyes.

“Okay,” Ali states calmly, trying to process the situation. Just then a flying garbage can smashes into the window next to them, causing them both to jump. “We're going to to have to wait this storm out, Ash," she states slowly. "We need to get my hurricane shutters up now,” Ali adds with a firm tone. “We’re not going anywhere right now and if these windows shatter, we’re done.”

Ash nods and ties her hoodie strings tight so that her face will be a bit protected from the elements. “You’re right. You stay here. I can do it,” Ash says with her hand on the doorknob.

Ali is quick to correct her. “There’s no way you’re doing this without me, Ashlyn. We’re in this together, right?”

Despite the circumstances, Ash smiles and nods. She knows there’s so much more behind Ali’s words that hopefully they’ll get the chance to talk about. “Right,” she says and pulls Ali in to kiss her deeply.

The kiss gets heated, and Ash drops her hands to Ali’s ass to pull her in closer. They get lost, but only for a moment before a shrub slams into the door and yanks them from their embrace.

“Let’s do this quick. Be careful, okay?” Ali says in a mothering tone which Ash can’t help but roll her eyes at.

“Of course,” she replies and pulls open the front door.

They’re immediately hit with a wall of wind and rain as they struggle to make their way outside. The wind is so strong, they’re literally being blown backwards and it’s taking all of their strength to fight against it and move forward. The rain is pelting, stinging as each raindrop strikes their faces.

“Take that side!” Ali yells as she points to the other side of the window, letting go of Ashlyn’s hand so she can make her way over. She grabs the side of her shutter and pushes it towards the middle, nodding for Ashlyn to do the same. “We need to lock it!” she screams over the wind as she lets Ashlyn take over holding the shutters together while she begins screwing the locking mechanism into place.

They finally finish getting the first protective steel shutter into place and although Ash is surprised at how easy it was to do, she knows there’s several more and it's getting darker along with the winds picking up. Though she’s always thought of herself as brave, she can’t deny that she’s terrified inside. The only reason she’s able to hold it together is for Ali, it really is a life or death situation and she’s more scared to lose Ali than she is of the storm.

After twenty minutes, all but one of the window shutters is secured. The only one left is the large front bay window that overlooks the front yard. “IT’S STUCK, ASH!” Ali yells. She can see Ashlyn’s muscles straining as she tries to hold the shutters together. The wind is now coming from the side and she’s unable to get a really good grip on the windows, or a firm stance to get any power.

“HURRY, ALEX! YOU CAN DO IT!” she yells back, trying to be reassuring despite her own discomfort. Her forearms are rippling with pain and she’s not sure how much longer she can hold it. One slip up and the shutter can go flying straight into Ali, who is leaning in trying to screw the locking bolt on.

Ali’s fingers are working furiously. She knows Ashlyn is gassed and isn’t going to be able to handle it much longer. Lightning bolts are cracking in the background, getting dangerously closer with each passing second and they’ve only narrowly avoided flying debris that are whipping about in the wind. Her fingers are numb, freezing despite the tropical Florida climate and the adrenaline that had surged through her had long vanished, leaving her body wracked with fatigue as she struggles on.

“IT’S SLIPPING!” Ashlyn yells frantically. She’s straining, trying to throw all of her body weight onto the shutter to hold it in place. “ALEX, I CAN’T HOLD IT ANYMORE!” she adds, a final warning.

Her fingers are slowly slipping off, getting dangerously close to the edge and she tries to shift to recover, but it only makes her grip slide further. Just as they get to the edge, and she desperately claws onto it, her fingertips turning a bright white from the pressure, Ali finally clicks the lock into place.

“I GOT IT!” she screams with a proud, extremely thankful smile as Ash immediately sags to the ground, all of her energy spent. She quickly grabs Ashlyn’s hand and drags her into the house.

Ali slams the door behind her and they both stumble into the living room, shivering. “Can you start a fire?” Ali asks as she points to the stack of wood and fireplace that sits against the back wall of the living room. She’s never actually used the fireplace before, never had time to, but now she’s thankful for it as the temperature keeps dropping as the storm moves in from the coast.

Ash nods, still numb from the cold and pain as Ali retreats towards her bedroom. She grabs two dry pairs of sweats, as well as the thick down comforter from her bed as she makes her way into the main room where Ash is tending to the small fire she built, feeding it with slightly larger logs in hopes that they catch.

As Ali tosses the comforter and clothes down on the ground, she sees that Ashlyn is still shivering and wobbling a bit on her feet. She quickly walks around the couch over to her and wraps her arms around her. “Hey, are you okay?” she asks softly as her hands enclose each other around the blonde’s chest. She can feel Ashlyn’s heart racing.

“I’m…free…freezing,” Ash says, her body riddled with light spasms as she tries to squat closer to the fire to gather some warmth.

“Ash, We need to get these clothes off of you,” Ali states honestly as she turns Ashlyn around in her arms and gives her a concerned smile.

This makes Ashlyn smirk a bit, although it seems tired like the rest of her expression. “Oh ya?” she manages with a chuckle as Ali’s fingers find their way to the hem of her hoodie and shirt and begin to push it up. Ash sighs at the feeling of her warm fingers brushing over her cool, wet skin.

“Yes,” Ali whispers as she works the sweater up over Ashlyn’s head gently. “And you also need to get into the hot shower,” she adds, as she looks up at the blonde through her long eyelashes, slowly blinking.

“Only if you come with me,” Ash says softly as she begins to back them down the hall towards Ali’s master bathroom while placing a soft kiss on her lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think we all know where next chapter is heading... ;)


	30. Thank You.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Andd double update today! So productive lol

Once their feet hit the cool, tile floor, Ali grabs Ashlyn's hand and stops her in the middle of the room. She reaches around her to turn on the hot water and then leans back with a gentle expression.

Her hands go to Ashlyn's shirt, again toying with the hem of it, her warm fingers ghosting along Ash's taught abs. With an endearing look in her eyes, Ali switches the direction of her fingers, slips them into the waistband of Ashlyn's pants and slides them past her hips along with her underwear. 

Ash steps out of them and smiles as Ali pushes her gently back into the walk in shower, still fully clothed herself.

The hot water instantly raises Ash's body temperature as does the fact the Ali wordlessly continues stripping Ashlyn, turning her attention to the blonde's tight white v-neck which is now clingy to her wet body, the translucent fabric showing every curve of her toned body and perfect breasts. 

"You're beautiful," Ali says softly as she pulls the shirt over Ashlyn's head and tosses it mindlessly onto the bathroom floor. "Absolutely stunning," she adds, her fingers finding their way to her intricate tattoos which she traces before digging her fingers in, feeling Ashlyn's strong core beneath her wandering fingertips. "Thank you ."

She doesn't elaborate on what she's thankful for, but they both know it's a pretty large list. Despite the storm raging outside, they feel safe and secure in each other's arms as they stand in the shower, slowly exposing their vulnerability to each other.

"You don't have to thank me," Ash responds as she tugs Ali's soaking wet Penn State football t-shirt off and drops it on the floor with the rest of the forgotten clothes. She steps back and watches for a moment, letting her eyes trace the water running over her shoulders, down her neck to her collarbone before dipping out of sight beneath the black lace bra that still covered her. 

Gently, Ash weaves her fingers behind Ali's back and unclasps her bra before carefully pulling it over her shoulders. She plants soft, sweet kisses across her shoulders as she leans down to help Ali out of her shorts. "God you're beautiful," she whispers in awe as she looks at the naked figure of the woman she had fallen so deeply for. 

Unable to control her urges anymore, Ali wraps her arms around Ashlyn's neck and pulls her in for a kiss. It starts out slow, but  
quickly heats up as Ashlyn slips her tongue between Ali's open lips and asserts her dominance, pressing the brunette lightly into the shower wall as one hand slides into the hair at the back of Ali's neck while the other slips down to her waist, grasping firmly to pull her in tighter.

A soft moan escapes Ali's lips when she feels Ashlyn's leg press between her. Besides being extremely worked up due to the circumstances, it's been a while and she can already feel wetness pooling between her legs as the hot water continues to wash over their bodies.

The skin around Ali's breasts erupt into goosebumps when Ash takes her nipple into her mouth and she can feel Ali pushing her hips forward to get more pressure, her hands squeezing tighter as if she can't get enough of the blonde.

"Ash, please," she whispers softly into her ear, her teeth nipping at the soft flesh of her lobe. "Please baby," she urges again when Ash slides her hand that was resting firmly on Ali's hip down between her legs.

"I missed you," Ash says sweetly as she slides her fingers gently through Ali's folds before claiming her lips in another fiery kiss. "I miss the way you feel around me," she adds while slipping two fingers into Ali, bottoming out at the knuckle before slowly pulling them back out and marveling at the slick juices that coat them.

As she slides her fingers in and out, slowly and gently, Ali falls completely under her control and she knows it. It's obvious by the slight gasp that escapes her mouth every time Ash's palm rubs over her clit, by the way her legs slide a bit farther apart and how she throws her leg around Ashlyn's hip, her fingers raking down the blonde's back, clawing desperately to bring her closer and deeper.

"I missed you too," Ali gets out breathlessly through the haze in her mind as the blonde strokes her towards orgasm. Her legs begin to tremble and she can feel the mounting pressure build as Ash slips another finger inside her, curling them in just the right spot, intent on giving Ali her release as she clings tightly to her, moaning in her ear with every thrust of her fingers.

Finally, Ali cums quietly with her lips wrapped around Ashlyn's shoulder, but her whole body is trembling and it takes Ash's strong, but tired arms to keep her standing. 

"Damn," she whispers as she feels the blonde's arms tighten securely around her. "That felt amazing." She looks up into Ashlyn's eyes, noting the adoration and love she sees in them as she finally finds her legs again.

She pushes Ash back a bit so she can snake her fingers between them, smirking widely when she finds Ash so wet for her already. She pulls her fingers back from the blonde's folds to her lips, wrapping them around her own knuckles so she can suck the sweet juices from her fingers. "You taste so good," she says sexily before running her lips over them again. "So. Fucking. Good."

Ash grunts and pulls Ali in for a kiss by the back of her neck, tasting herself on her lips. "Don't tease," she commands playfully, but there's a certain insistence to it.

Ali smirks, glad she's able to regain some control over the situation. "Whatever you say, stud," she purrs before slowly dropping her knees and taking Ash's swollen clit into her mouth.

The blonde bucks up into her face at the sudden exhilarating feeling. "Yes," she moans when she feels Ali's already wet fingers slip into her. She can feel it quickly building up inside her and as much as she doesn't want to give Ali the satisfaction of getting her off so easily, she doesn't think she could hold it off even if she tries. "Yes, Alex. Don't stop," she begs, her knees sagging a bit as she loses control of her body, giving it completely over to the brunette who is fully ensconced between her legs.

A few flicks of the tongue later, Ash is spilling out into her hand and mouth with a high pitched moan. "Fuck," she gets out, sinking to her knees in front of Ali, her head dropping to the brunette's collarbone to rest.

"You alright there?" Ali laughs as she washes her hand off and kisses the blonde's forehead. 

"Yeah," Ash chuckles when the fog in her head finally clears and she can focus on the cockily smirking brunette before her. 

Ali carefully reaches behind to turn the shower off, knowing they both need some rest after the exhausting events of the day.

"Let's go settle in front of the fire, okay?" Ash asks as she stands and pulls a large towel from the rod and wraps it tightly around Ali.

She steps out of the shower, grabbing one for herself, but not before Ali gets a good long look at her toned ass. "Like what you see?" Ash asks with a teasing glint in her eyes when she turns and catches where Ali's eyes are at.

"Oh shut it," she responds sassily while drying herself off. "Go check on the fire and I'll grab some candles okay?"

Ash nods with a cocky smirk. "Whatever you say, Congresswoman Krieger." She thinks she will be, but actually isn't fast enough to avoid the slap in the ass she gets from Ali in retaliation as she strolls past her to the living room.


	31. Pretty Amazing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a slightly longer chapter. Has some serious stuff, some Ali/Kyle back story and some smut. Enjoy!

When Ali wanders into the living room with a handful of candles, she sees a still naked Ashlyn bending over the fire, carefully stoking it after having added several larger logs. She stands there for a moment taking in Ashlyn's movements, how her arm muscles flex as she prods the fire, how her chest rises and falls with each deep breath, and she can't help but trace the droplets of water dripping from her hair down her tattooed ribcage to her firm, toned ass.

"I found some candles," she finally states when Ash turns and quirks an eyebrow at her. She knows she's been caught staring, but doesn't bother to play it off. 

Ash nods and sits back on her heels, setting the fire poker back into its holder. "Good. Let's light some and put them around. It's about to get really dark," she says as she rises and meets Ali, taking a few of the candles from her.

Ali smiles and nods in agreement. She glances outside and can see the water has risen quite a bit more and whitecaps are easily visible even hundreds of yards out. She’s a bit concerned about flooding, but realizes there’s not much she can do at the moment since they’re trapped. “That’s a good idea. Can you light some here and I’ll go put some in the kitchen?”

Ash wordless sets to work complying with Ali’s request as the brunette makes her way into the kitchen. She places a candle on the kitchen table as well as by the fridge and on the corner of the breakfast nook. She pulls open the fridge and grumbles when she realizes there isn’t really anything substantial in there besides some fruit and a half empty bottle of wine. At least she won’t have to worry about food going bad with the loss of electricity though.

She grabs a few things out of the cupboard and saunters back into the room, wine glasses in hand to find Ash lighting the last of the candles. The room is lit with a soft, romantic glow and Ali can’t help but chuckle at the irony of it all. As the fierce storm rips everything apart outside, it seems that they’re coming closer together than ever.

When Ashlyn finally turns around after setting the lighter down, she casts a skeptical glance in Ali’s direction.

“What? “Ali responds with a quirked eyebrow.

The blonde just shakes her head and tosses some blankets from the couch down onto the ground in front of the fire, followed by the couch cushions to use as pillows. “First you make me take all my clothes off,” she begins as she sets the cushions at the perfect angle, “then you seduce me in the shower,” she continues, now fluffing the thick comforter Ali had pulled off of her bed, “and now you’re going to try to get me drunk?”

Ali can’t help the laugh that escapes from her, coming all the way from her stomach as she shakes her head and shrugs. “Hey if we’re going down with the ship, we might as well have a little fun first. Right?” she asks rhetorically as she sets the glasses down and uses her teeth to pull the cork out the rest of the way before topping them off all the way.

Ash laughs at the sight of it, a Congresswoman seemingly so down-to-earth and acting unladylike, but can’t deny that it makes her love Ali even more. “I suppose,” she supplies in response as she shimmies underneath the comforter. “You coming?” she asks, cocking her face up towards Ali who has a stupid grin on her face.

“Depends,” Ali teases with a wink as she slips under the covers and snuggles up into the blonde’s side after handing her wine glass off to her.

After Ali settles in with her back propped up against the couch cushions, Ash wraps her arm around her shoulders to hold her tightly. “Cheers to hopefully making it out of this one alive,” she says with a chuckle, though it’s a bit uneasy and they know they’re not out of the woods yet with this storm.

Ali nods and clinks their glasses together before taking a long sip of the sweet, white wine. “Everything went okay with Kyle right?” she finally asks, cutting through the silence.

Ashlyn nods. “Yeah, the 1pm was the last one out of the bus terminal and he got the last seat pretty much,” she says with a thankful tone. She loves that even though they’re the ones trapped in the heart of the storm, Ali is still only thinking about her brother.

“Good. Thank you again,” she says, turning to face Ashlyn as she places a hand on her face and rubs her thumb gently over her flushed cheek. “I don’t know what I’d do if I ever lost him,” she admits honestly, her voice holding a tone of sadness.

The howling wind and crackling fireplace are the only sounds that fill the room for a moment as Ash thinks on Ali’s words. “Can I ask you something?” she says cautiously before taking a sip of her wine.

“Of course,” Ali quickly replies as she looks deep into the blonde’s hazel eyes. She can sense Ashlyn searching for something and remembers her promise to Jenna about being one hundred percent truthful. It might not be easy, but she wants to open herself up completely to the woman beside her.

A long sigh is the next thing out of Ashlyn’s mouth as she thinks how to approach the subject without upsetting the brunette in her arms. Finally, she settles on a blunt approach. “What happened with Kyle? He mentioned owing his life to you and I guess…I was just wondering what happened. I know it’s not any of my business, but-“

Her rambling is silenced by a finger placed firmly against her lips. “I’ll tell you whatever you want to know,” she states honestly. “You deserve the truth, Ash.”

“Okay,” she replies, still a bit uncertain, but takes another sip of her drink in hopes that it loosens her up a bit more. Between the stress from the storm and the impending conversations she’s a bit tense.

Ali turns to face the fire, watching the sparks that follow each crackling sound that escapes. She feels comfortable, safe in this moment and takes a deep breath before beginning the difficult discussion. “Kyle and I have always been close. He’s honestly been my best friend since day one and we would do anything for each other. He hit his rebellious stage trying to get out from underneath my father’s thumb and fell into a bad crowd when he moved to Los Angeles for college. We would still talk almost every day, but he wasn’t in a good place. Finally, a few weeks went by and I hadn’t heard from him. I was scared and tried talking to my dad about getting the police involved because his friends hadn’t seen him either, but he didn’t want to bring any attention to it since I was up for election and he didn’t want the bad publicity for himself either.”

Ash can feel Ali tense up a bit as she continues with the story so she wraps her arm tighter around her and plants a quick kiss on her temple, urging her to continue.

“Anyways, mid-election cycle, I still hadn’t heard from Kyle so I put myself on the next flight to LA. I checked his apartment, but there was an eviction notice, so I checked the hospital, the jails, anywhere I could think of. “ A few tears begin pooling in the corner of her eyes as she recalls the events, some of the most traumatic of her life, in such vivid details. “Finally, I just started wandering through the homeless sections of town with his picture and then one day…one day...” the tears begin falling as she fights to continue, the images torturing her as they flash through her mind, just as lucid as they day they became ingrained in her memory to haunt her for the rest of her life.

“You don’t have to continue,” Ash says, her voice pleading a bit as she holds a shaking Ali in her arms. She figured the story would be emotional, but never thought it would house emotions this deep. It was physically hurting her to see Ali in so much pain and even though it made no sense, she wished she would have known her back then. She wishes she could have taken care of her when she needed it the most. It’s all she can do to settle for here and now and that thought makes her pull Ali into her even tighter.

“Yes. Yes I do,” Ali says, almost trying to convince herself more than anything else. She feels Ash wipe her tears away with her thumb so she fights through to continue, ignoring the panging feeling in her chest. “I finally found him. He was…he was in such bad shape. He had no money, nowhere to live, and nothing to eat. Absolutely nothing and he was going through withdrawal. Ash,” she says, turning to meet the blonde’s eyes for the first time, “I’ve never been so scared in my life. He was so thin and pale and just lying on the street shivering with no one around to check on him, no one that even cared. I didn’t know what to do so I called my dad, and all he wanted to do was put him in the most expensive, secretive rehab place there to sweep it under the rug.”

“Wow,” Ash breathes out, unable to control her automatic response to what Ali’s father did in that situation.

“Yeah,” Ali says with a cold chuckle. “I was having none of it though. I had Eli send the private jet, which I had to threaten him with dropping out of the race if he didn’t, got Kyle onto it and checked into the Satellite Beach rehab facility that day. I wanted to be close, to be there for him when he felt like everyone else had abandoned him. It wasn’t easy, in fact it was the most stressful time of my life trying to balance it all, but if I had to I would do it all again in a heartbeat. I wouldn’t trade him for anything.”

Her words hold such an honest sincerity that takes Ash back a bit. She loves her brother and knows they would do anything for each other, but hearing Ali’s story and knowing what she _actually_ did for Kyle, is in a whole other level. “You’re amazing, Alex. You know that, right?” Ash asks with pure awe flickering through her light brown irises.

“I think you’re pretty amazing too, Ashlyn Harris,” she responds, pulling the blonde in for a deep kiss, her empty hand finding its way to the blonde’s bare chest.

Ash leans back and sets her empty glass on the wooden coffee table beside her before taking Ali’s from her hand and placing it next to her own. “Prove it,” Ash mumbles into her lips as she scoots down and then pulls the insistent brunette on top of her.

Ali looks back down at her with a sultry smirk as she rolls her hips into the blonde's. Ash sinks back into the blankets while pulling Ali down so that their bodies are melded together, to the point where they can't tell where one ends and the other begins. Ali continues grinding her hips down on the blonde, whose hands slip to her ass to get herself even more friction. 

She lets her eyes wander the blonde’s toned stomach and tattoos in amazement for a moment before the smoldering, challenging look in the blonde's eyes get the best of her and she leans down to begin sucking and kissing her neck while her hand runs softly up her thigh.

A slight moan escapes Ash’s lips when she feels Ali's warm skin graze against hers, a heat only further intensified by the heat radiating from the fireplace behind them and the blanket wrapped tightly around their waists. Her whole body feels as if it's on fire and she can't wait any longer. 

Luckily, the soft moan is all it takes for Ali to get the hint and she quickly bends down to take Ash's nipple in her mouth as she slides her fingers through her already wet folds.

Ash feels her breath catch in her throat at the contact and pulls her up for deep kiss before turning her lips to Ali's neck. “I need you in me,” she sighs into the brunette's ear as she feels her continue rubbing slow, tantalizing circles on her clit.

Ali eagerly obliges and slips a finger slowly into Ash’s core, moving it in and out slowly, but deeply as she warms her up. Ash's hips buck up into her subconsciously begging for more. 

As Ali rubs her clit with her thumb, she slips another finger in, relishing the moans that are escaping Ash's lips as she increased her speed.

“Fuck, Ali. Don’t stop,” she manages to get out through her ragged breath as her hands desperately search for something to hold onto and finally find refuge in the brunette's cascading hair. She looks up into Ali's eyes which are singularly focused as she works through the light sheen of sweat that is gathering on her brow, a side effect of the crackling fire combined with the heavy comforter and resilient movements she's conducting. 

She pulls Ali down to gather her lips in another kiss and feels her legs begin to shake as Ali adds more pressure into rubbing her clit and slowl adds another finger.

“Don’t stop, Alex. I’m close,” she moans into Ali's mouth which only spurs her on more.

She can feel Ash begin to tighten around her and wants to finally give her what she has been so patiently waiting for. Her pace picks up and she finally curls her fingers, sending Ash's sweaty body in convulsions as the waves of euphoria wash over her body.

Ali slowly works her down, sliding her fingers out when a panting Ash's back eventually settles back onto the blankets and she lets out a long, contented sigh.

"Damn," she breathes out, still unsure how the brunette can have such a profound impact on her body with the slightest touch. It's like she knows her body so well that she's giving Ash what she needs before she even asks for it. "You sure know how to make a girl feel special," she adds with a tired, but crooked grin as she holds out her arm and let's Ali cuddle into it.

"I had something to prove," Ali replies sassily as she lets her head settle into the crook of Ashlyn's neck. 

"You certainly did," Ash agrees with a chuckle before turning to the side and letting her head rest on top of Ali's as exhaustion claims both of them.


	32. This. You.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now it's Ali's turn to be the super hero lol

Ali is the first to wake up in the morning and she carefully unwraps herself from around a slightly snoring Ashlyn to make her way to the kitchen. Through a tiny slit in the shutter on the back French doors, she can see how high the water has risen and is slightly alarmed by how close it’s gotten to the house. The rain is still pouring down on the metal roof and she can see boats, chairs, tables and numerous other articles floating by her house, only ten feet or so from her back door.

She lets out a shaky, unsettled breath before she begins boiling a pot of water on the stove top. Thankfully, the stove is gas fired because she honestly doesn’t know how she’d fare without her normal cup of black coffee, even if it is of the less tasty, instant variety. While she’s waiting she pulls out her phone, which is almost dead. She tries to make a phone call, but there’s still no connection to be made. The little island’s cell tower must be out and she grumbles something about passing a bill for better infrastructure to handle storms, especially when she plops down in her office chair with her laptop only to find there’s no internet connection to be had either.

“This is bullshit,” she mumbles as she walks back to the kitchen where the small pot of water has begun boiling, frustrated and wishing nothing more than to get a message out to Kyle that she’s okay, despite his inability to contact her. She hopes he’s safe at their mother’s as well.

After a few minutes of letting the coffee blend into the water, Ali turns the stove off and pours the pot into two coffee mugs. Unsure of how Ash likes hers, she grabs them both off the counter and walks back into the living room where the blonde has sprawled out even further in her absence. It’s cute, Ali thinks, the way she’s twisted in the blankets with her hair splayed around her and a slight snore escaping her lips.

She sees that the fire has died down and is only emitting a slow burning heat, and sets to getting it going again, placing a few thin logs on top of the bed of red hot coals. She knows they’ll catch eventually and decides snuggling into Ashlyn seems like a better idea than watching the fire grow.

“Hey sleepy head,” she mumbles as she slides into Ashlyn’s side, smiling as the blonde instinctively pulls her in tighter.

“Mmm. Morning,” Ash replies sleepily as she rolls over and burrows her head into Ali’s side.

Ali sits there for a few minutes with her steaming cup of coffee in her hand, relishing the close contact with her girl before Ashlyn stirs a bit more.

“Is that coffee I smell?” she asks, her voice still tired, but holding a hint of hope.

Ali just giggles kisses the top of her blonde head. “It is. I have a cup for you too,” she replies.

Ashlyn cranks one eye open to check that Ali isn’t lying before smiling herself. “You are a damn goddess,” she states while finally sitting up to eagerly grab her own mug.  
“So you told me last night,” Ali teases and bumps Ashlyn’s shoulder as the blonde blushes a bit.

She shoots Ali a playful glare. “Whatever. I’m not even going to try denying that I love the things you can do with that tongue of yours,” she says nonchalantly before blowing on her coffee and carefully taking a sip. She sucks a breath in when the hot coffee hits her tongue, but is just thankful that it doesn’t burn too bad.

“You’re not too bad yourself,” Ali supplies while blowing on her own cup of coffee.

Holding the mug tightly in her hands, Ash nods towards the kitchen. “How does it look out there?”

“Pretty bad still,” Ali states honestly as she casts her eyes back to the fire. The few logs she had put on had finally caught and she was glad for the extra warmth. The temperature had really dropped and she still wasn’t wearing clothes.

“Pretty bad as in we need to build a raft and try to paddle to safety?” Ash asks in a teasing tone, though they both know it could be a reality.

She shakes her head. “We’ve got about ten feet to go. Just keep your fingers crossed,” she adds with a nervous chuckle.

Ash nods before settling back into the cushions, holding her arm out for Ali to cuddle into. She quickly obliges, letting herself sink into the blonde’s comforting touch. A silence falls over them as they both lay under the covers letting the juxtaposition of the sounds from the soft crackling fire play against the howling wind whipping around outside along with the rain screeching down onto the roof. Ali takes a sip of her coffee before setting the mug down onto the end table beside her.

She gets comfortable, her head resting on the blonde’s bare chest, listening to her soothing heartbeat. She feels content, safe and even though she’s trapped in her house, there’s a sense of freedom she’s yet to experience in her life. She doesn’t have to worry about the outside world, about what people want from her, what they expect from her. All that matters in this moment is the soft thrumming of the blonde’s beating heart and the way her arm is wrapped protectively around her as if she’d never let any harm come her way. Suddenly, her heart begins beating faster at the realization of it all. There’s questions she needs to ask, things she needs to say and it all comes spilling out.

“Ash,” she whispers, her hand finding its way to her tattooed arm which she begins rubbing her fingers over lightly. “Can I ask you something?”’

“Of course, beautiful,” she replies softly, stretching her arm out a bit more to make it easier for Ali to reach.

“What are we doing? This is great now, but what about when this storm passes? What happens then?”

The way her voice sounds so timid and afraid makes Ash’s heart clench a bit. She turns so that she’s facing Ali and waits until she meets her gaze. “I want to be with you. I don’t quite know what that’s going to entail or look like once this all passes, but I don’t want to be without you, Alex.”

“Do you mean it?” Ali asks, her voice still cautious as if she isn’t quite convinced. She doesn’t know if she can take it, giving her heart away fully only to have it stripped again.

“I mean it,” she states honestly, planting a passionate kiss on Ali’s lips as if to prove it. “What do you want?”

“This. You,” Ali replies quickly as if it takes no thought and in reality it doesn’t.

Ash nods and thinks on it for a moment. “What about your job? I know re-election voting is coming up in a few months so how will they take this?”

Ali sighs, realizing the truth was going to come out sooner than she would have liked. She wanted to have it all set up and planned out, but she couldn’t keep anything from Ash. “I’m not running again, Ash,” she says softly.

“What?!” Ash replies in shock, her eyes widening as she sits up and takes in the bold statement.

Ali has to laugh at her reaction. She knows she must sound crazy. “It was never my dream,” she supplies. “It was my father’s and honestly it doesn’t make me happy. The traveling, the long hours, the exhausting schedule and constant hounding by media and lobbyists. It’s just too much.”

“What made you realize that?”

“You,” she replies simply, pointing a finger at the blonde’s chest. “Being here and living so free, it’s all I ever wanted. I don’t care about the money or power or any of that. I just want to actually live.”

The statement is profound and Ash finally realizes the true impact she had on the sassy brunette lying tangled in her arms. Another reality quickly hits her though. “I can’t exactly support us on a bartender’s salary,” Ash says with uncertainty; as if her statement could make Ali completely change her mind.

Ali lets out a hearty laugh before looking back at Ash with a beaming smile. “Oh I didn’t tell you, did I?”

“Tell me what?”

“You got the surf program grant,” Ali states simply. “I got the call yesterday from the Brevard County Mayor and they selected your shop. The upfront payment of $50,000 will be coming in within a couple weeks. ”

“What!” Ash shrieks, her eyes going wide in complete and utter shock as she realizes that's more than enough money to get the place off the ground again. Her face is a muddled mix of disbelief and excitement as she wraps her arms tightly around Ali. “But..but…how? I didn’t even submit the papers yet?” she asks, stammering through her question.

“Jenna’s a good friend,” is all Ali supplies with a sly smile. “I think she just didn’t want you to be around the bar all the time anymore though and that’s why she filled the paperwork out for you that I kept bugging her about,” she teases.

Ash sits back and stares blankly at the fire before her, truly touched by the efforts the people in her life will go to for her. “Wow,” she whispers. “It’s really going to happen, isn’t it?”

Ali nods and wraps her arms around the blonde, snuggling in closer. “It is baby. Guess it’ll get a little stressful with us both getting business off the ground,” she says nonchalantly while staring into the fire with Ash.

“What do you mean?” the blonde asks, turning with a quirked eyebrow.

Ali sits back and looks at her with a wry smile. “You don’t think I was just going to be a hot stay at home girlfriend, did you?” she asks rhetorically. “I am going to be starting my own law firm down here,” she states proudly, but with a bit of reserve while she judges her reaction.

“That’s amazing, Alex!” she says, her own proud smile showing through her dimple. “God I love you,” she breathes out before she can even process what she’s saying. Instantly, she pulls back a bit, terrified by what Ali’s reaction will be to her blunt confession.

She simply smiles and leans in for a kiss, which quickly becomes deep. When she feels Ashlyn’s hands slip to her waist to pull her in closer, she places a hand on her chest and lightly pushes her back a bit so that there’s space between them, but they’re still sharing the same breath. “I love you too,” she whispers before weaving her fingers into the blonde’s hair and pulling her in for a deep, insistent kiss.


	33. That Can Work

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks everyone for your wonderful comments! Sorry I didn't get an update out yesterday but I went to the flash game and saw KO legit get chased down and cornered by people for autographs. It was crazy!
> 
> Anyways.. Things start to play out for their futures in this chapter. Probably only have a few chapters left in this one unless I get another big idea. Hope you enjoy :)

“Do you have _any_ idea how worried we were?” screams an anxious Kyle through the phone. “Like…any idea?”

“Sorry, Kyle. Obviously it wasn’t exactly in the plans to get trapped in my house during a hurricane,” Ali replies as she continues sorting through the pile of garbage piled up outside Ash’s shop. The storm hadn’t been quite as bad as they anticipated, but there was still some significant damage done to the town and surrounding areas. Luckily for Ash, one broken window, a missing sign and a trashed yard was the extent of it for her. “We tried to call, but didn’t get any service either.”

Kyle just mumbles something under his breath causing Ali to chuckle. She knows he’s coming from a good place. “So how are you doing?”

“Good. The media hasn’t showed up which is good. It’s probably because of the storm though,” he adds in afterthought.

Ali sighs at the mention of the media. The storm had momentarily taken their attention off the recent stories, but she knows that she’s going be in front of the camera soon regarding the storm and the personal questions are bound to come out. “Yeah. I have a call scheduled with Eli later about it all. Seems he was pretty worried about me too judging by the forty missed phone calls and texts I had from him,” she says with a chuckle.

“Good luck with that,” Kyle supplies, catching the apprehension in her voice. “Give ‘em hell, Alex.”

“Will do, Kyle.” She lets out a laugh and turns to see Ashlyn, covered in dirt and sand quirking an eyebrow at her. “I’ve got to get going. Call you later, okay?’

“You got it. Love you and tell Ash I said hey!”

Ali says goodbye and hangs up the phone before tucking it back in her pocket. “Kyle says hi and that he hates us for worrying him,” she says which earns a laugh from the blonde.

“Well, tell Kyle he’s welcome to come back and help us with this,” she says, her hands full of debris that need to be lugged to the road. “Maybe I’ll just hire him,” she says mindlessly as she continues dragging the beat up garbage can and palm fronds to the front where the garbage crews will eventually pick them up. She doesn’t hear a response from Ali and after a moment turns to see her staring at her deep in thought. “What?” she asks.

“Would you honestly do that?”

“Do what, babe?” she asks, not even remembering what she had just said.

“Hire Kyle. That would actually be really good for him to get back on his feet,” she states before turning her attention back to the area of pavement she was raking.

It finally clicks and Ash realizes what Ali is getting at. She tosses the stuff by the curb and then makes her way back to Ali and wraps her arms around her. “I would love to. I’m definitely going to need the help and we totally get along,” she reasons, thinking that it would actually be fun to work with him. “Besides I bet that’ll make the program look even better. Who knows, if we expand maybe I can hire more of the patients that have some outpatient privileges,” she adds with a nonchalant shrug while placing a light kiss on Ali’s shoulder.

The brunette turns in her arms and meets her eyes with an intense gaze. “You are incredible. Not many people would knowingly hire a recovering addict and you want to take on multiple.”

Ash shrugs. “My mom went through rehab a couple times. It was hard on our whole family because it’s a small town and since everyone knows everyone’s business, no one would want to hire her. That’s why this shop meant so much to me. My dad and I needed to make it work to keep our heads above water.”

The confession doesn’t necessarily surprise Ali, but it does make some things click into place for her. Like why Ash has been so patient and understanding with Kyle. It takes a special person to form that connection and she now knows where Ash learned the patience from. “I love you,” she whispers before planting a quick kiss on her lips. “Now let’s get this place cleaned up!”

“Okay, bossy,” Ash chuckles before patting Ali’s butt and making her way to the back where most of the debris have piled up.

……..

“Congresswoman Krieger, can you address the rumors about your brother!”

“Congresswoman, is it true that you’re dating Ashlyn Harris? Isn’t she a bartender?”

“Congresswoman, does your father know that you’re gay?”

“How is the reelection process going?”

Ali walks through the crowd patiently, taking deep, settling breaths as the media questions are hurled at her. While some are valid, most make her want to jump into the crowd and strangle the reporter, especially the ones degrading Kyle and Ashlyn. Finally, she reaches the podium and puts her hands up to silence them all. After a moment, the screams die down and the only sound is her beating heart and the clicking of cameras. It’s been two days since the storm passed through and Ali is set to address the media on the recovery efforts taking place in the area.

“First of all, I would like to thank all of the dedicated emergency service personnel who have been tirelessly working to restore the area after the devastating storm that just went through. Their bravery and sacrifice during this trying time is greatly appreciated and it’s been amazing to see the community's continued support of each other. I know many people are without water and electricity, but I can promise you that we have the best, most dedicated people in the area working on restoring it. I promise you that I will not rest until Brevard County is back up and running. I know that we have a lot of very special, hard-working people here and that if we stay together as a community we can come out of this on the right side of things.”

She pauses and lets the words sink in for a moment. She knows she can end the press conference, pack it up and go home, but she’s done running. She’s done hiding. A wink from a familiar blonde in the crowd gives her the courage to go on. “Secondly, I would like to address the personal questions that have been brought up, no matter how inappropriate they may be.” At this a grumble ripples through the crowd and she sees the reporters trying to creep closer, as if this is more important than the news about the hurricane recovery efforts. “I would like to ask for privacy as my family deals with the family matter regarding my brother. Yes, he is in recovery at the moment and I ask that you direct any questions related to the matter to me, and leave him alone. I would hate to have to revoke press passes to future conferences for those that ignore my wishes.” Another dissatisfied mumble spreads through the crowd, but she presses on. “And although it really is no one’s business besides mine and hers, yes I am dating Ashlyn Harris, the owner of the Surf Shop on Sunshine Ave. She has been incredibly supportive of my family and I during these trying times and I ask that you also respect her privacy. Finally, although I am committed to the recovery efforts in the area and will obviously see this through, I feel that now is a good time to announce that I will be withdrawing from reelection to the House of Representatives.” The crowd explodes with questions as numerous microphones and recorders are shoved towards her and questions are shouted at her. “Again, I ask that you respect my family’s privacy at this time.”

With that she nods politely and slips out the back of the room, thankful that there’s a back entrance. She slips into her BMW and Ash follows, sliding into the other side. “How’d I do?” she asks.

Ash just grins back at her with a proud smile. “You did great. And you looked super sexy up there,” she adds while giving Ali the once over.

“Keep it in your pants,” Ali jokes and pats Ashlyn’s chest lightly. “We’ve got work to do on that shop of yours.”

Ash just shrugs her hand off and moves in to kiss her neck, ignoring Ali’s playful pleas to stop as she pulls out onto A1A. “Do you have any idea how incredible sexy it is to see you go from this little outfit,” she says, running her hand along Ali’s tailored, pinstripe skirt and suit, “to shorts and a tank-top and getting all dirty helping me clean up the shop. Like I can’t even explain what it does to me,” she mumbles into her ear, her tongue tracing the outline of her earlobe.

Ali pushes her off, but turns to give her a suggestive grin. “Maybe you can show me how hot it makes you when you help me change out of this into my little shorts and tank top,” she says in a sultry voice.

Ash leans back in her seat with a cocky grin on her face. “I think that can work.”


	34. What's Best For Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry to make Ken so uptight in this one! Hope you enjoy!!

“This sucks,” Ash grumbles as she tosses another stack of catalogs down on the desk just as Ali wanders into her office with a bag of burritos from the Mexican place down the street.

“What sucks?” she asks, scooting Ashlyn’s chair back so that she can take up residence on her lap.

Ash immediately smiles and gives her girl a kiss while wrapping her arms around her waist. “The Roxy collection is delayed a few days so I’m going to have an empty display until it comes in, if it even comes in on time," she groans. “And then the sign guy called me today and said my new sign isn’t going to be in until the end of the week. It was supposed to go in tomorrow so the landscapers could come on Thursday and Friday.”

Ali rolls her eyes at her girlfriend’s dramatics. “Ash, your grand opening isn’t for another week. You’ll get it all done in time so stop stressing. You’re so tense.” She sets the bag of food down and slips off Ash’s lap to move behind her, taking her shoulders in her hands. “You need to relax baby.”

“Mmmm,” Ash moans as she feels Ali’s fingers dig into the tight knots in her shoulders. “It’s easy to relax when you’re doing that,” she says with a small chuckle. “I’m sorry I’ve been so stressed lately. I just want it all to be perfect, ya know?”

“I know,” Ali replies with a mischievous grin that she’s quick to hide from Ashlyn. “It will all work out. I promise. You can still take me to the airport tomorrow, right?”

Ash nods before turning her attention to the steaming bag of food that had been set on her desk. “Well since the sign guy isn’t coming I guess I definitely can.” She pulls the two burritos out and sets them on the paper plates that Ali had handed her. “I still hate that you’re leaving,” she states sadly.

“I know, Ash. I wish I didn’t have to, but I’ve got a couple months left of my term and there’s a lot that needs to get done.”

Ash turns to look at her with a pout while unwrapping her burrito. “Can’t I come with you?” she asks with puppy dog eyes.

“If you weren’t opening your shop in a week, I would say one hundred percent yes. But there’s a lot you need to get done too. As much as I wish I could be here to help, I have to go to D.C. for a session. At least you’ll have Kyle.”

Ash nods and takes a huge bite of her lunch. “Yeah at least I get one Krieger,” she says with a mouthful of food. After Kyle had come back from his mother's, Ash had offered him a part time job which he eagerly accepted. The two had spent quite a lot of time together getting the shop prepped for the big grand opening and she definitely was having a blast with the older Krieger.

“True,” Ali agrees as she sets to work on her own food. “And I’ll be back for the grand opening for sure.”

“Better be, woman! This wouldn’t be happening without you,” she states sincerely, a slight trail of hot sauce running down her chin.

Ali rolls her eyes and wipes it off with a napkin. “I had faith you’d make it happen either way,” she replies honestly, her eyes holding the truth in her words.

…….

“Alex, are you kidding me?!”

“What, baby?” Ali replies as she finishes up at security, wondering what Ashlyn could be so worked up about. It’s only been half an hour since she’d dropped her off at the airport and she wasn’t sure how much trouble Ash could have gotten into in such a short amount of time.

“The sign!” she screams excitedly which finally makes it all click for the brunette.

“Oh. You like it?” she asks hesitantly, suddenly doubting what she had done. There’s a pause on the other end of the line and suddenly she hears a sniffle. “Ash, are you okay?”

“It’s amazing,” Ash replies as she glances up at the sign in front of her shop. It’s twice as big as the one she had originally picked out with double the lights around it. Most importantly though, it holds the same design Ashlyn had drawn up by hand, aside from the name. Instead of **The Surf Shop** in thick bold letters in the center, the sign reads, **Harris Family Surf Shop**. “You’re amazing.”

Ali’s smile grows tenfold when she hears the awe in Ashlyn’s voice. It was definitely worth surprising her with. “I’m glad you like your gift. Your whole family worked so hard for it, so they should get credit, right?” she asks.

“Right. I love you.” Ash wipes a single tear from her cheek as Kyle comes up behind her and slings an arm around her shoulders.

“Love you too, baby. Besides, I’m gonna be a Harris one day too,” she chuckles. “So technically I’ll have a surf shop named after me. See what I did there? I’m so selfish.”

Ash grins wider at her girlfriend’s teasing. They hadn’t talked about marriage, but she’s glad to know Ali’s on the same page. “Yes. So unbelievably selfish,” she says with a laugh, knowing Ali is anything but. It's a stark contrast to what she first thought of the woman she had come to love.

“I’m boarding my flight now, but I’ll call later okay?”

“Okay, Alex. Good luck with your dad and thanks again!” she shrieks.

“Welcome. Oh and by the way, the landscapers are still coming tomorrow. The whole thing was a set-up. Love you bye!”

Ash shakes her head when she hears her girlfriend’s quick goodbye and hang-up. “Your sister is insane,” she says, casting a glance to Kyle who just shrugs.

“You’re telling me!” he replies with a commiserating grin.

…….

“I can’t believe you’re doing this. And without even consulting me first?”

Ali shakes her head at her father who is sitting across the table from her. It’s the first time she’s seen him since announcing her relationship with Ashlyn as well as pulling herself from the ballot at the press conference. She’s secretly regretting letting Ashlyn talk her into meeting him when she was in town. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know I needed to consult you on every decision I made in my life. So is it okay if I get the salmon? Or do you suggest the steak?”

Ken scowls as he looks back at her. “Alex, enough of the attitude. Where did this come from? Is it that bartender you’ve been seeing? Please tell me that nothing is honestly happening between you two. You’re so much better than that.”

“Oh it’s happening, Senator,” she says with a wide grin to irk her father. “It’s happening all over town. In my bed, in public restrooms, on her kitchen table, and even on the beach...in public," she adds just to put the icing on the cake as she watches him grimace and look away.

Her father’s frown becomes even more pronounced as she continues on and he slams his fist down on the table in a rare display of uncontrolled emotion that shocks Ali. “Damn it, Alex. I said enough!”

The restaurant quiets a bit as they get a few sideways glances from other patrons. After a moment though, they turn back to their own dinners. Ken just shakes his head and drops his eyes to the table. “What has gotten into you?”

Ali decides against the sarcastic response of what’s gotten into her and takes a deep breath. “Whether you want to hear it or not, I love her and she loves me. And she’s not just a bartender for your information. She’s a business owner and beyond that she’s an amazingly kind and compassionate person that takes care of me and treats me the way I deserve. _That_ should be what you worry about, not her profession or social status.”

Ken sighs and finally brings his eyes up to meet Ali’s. “Alex, you know I care about you. I just want what’s best for my kids.”

Ali shrugs off his reasoning. “She is what’s best for me. And do you honestly think you sweeping Kyle under the rug and ignoring him is what’s best for him?”

“Alex, we have our careers to think about,” he hisses, upset that his daughter is again bringing public attention to it.

Ali just shakes her head. “I’m glad that’s what you care about the most,” she says with a disappointed expression. “I used to look up to you and want to be like you when I grew up, but now that I’m grown and can see what you really are, I realize that I want to be nothing like you. I love you, dad, but you’re a cold, lonely, power-hungry man and I don’t need those type of people in my life. Call me if your priorities ever change,” she adds, tossing her napkin onto her menu as she slides back from the table and makes a quick escape from the restaurant before the frustrate tears began sliding down her cheeks.


	35. Let's Go Party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surf Shop Grand Opening and Eli makes a visit to Satellite Beach...dun dun dunnn. Let me know what you think ;)

“Damn you sure know how to throw a party, Ash,” Ali says as she finally finds her girlfriend in the crowd at the Surf Shop grand opening and wraps her arms around her waist from behind.

The blonde smiles and lets Ali hold her tightly before turning around with a mixture of pride and gratitude sparkling through her eyes. “I couldn’t have done it without you,” she replies softly, leaning down to place a soft kiss on Ali’s lips. When Ali shakes her head to try to downplay her role, Ash just squeezes her tighter and kisses her again before the denials can come out. “I mean it, Alex.”

Ali pulls back and meets Ashlyn’s gaze. “Well, I’m proud of you. No matter how you got here, I see day in and day out the hard work that you’ve put into this place. I can only imagine where you can take it from here.”

Ash looks down at her girlfriend with a beaming smile. “Thank you.” She grabs Ali’s hands from behind her waist and laces their fingers together, holding them between them. “I honestly still can’t believe it really happened,” she says with a shaky breath, the emotions stirring up inside her a bit as she looks around the parking lot which is filled with family, friends, media and customers.

The evening turned out to be the perfect Florida night with a soft breeze blowing in from the ocean to offset the slight humidity in the coastal air. As the sun began to dip below the horizon, the dim blue lights kick on, casting shadows of the hundreds of guests onto the building behind them. It was more than Ash could ever have imagined for the store that her father had worked so hard to bring to light; a terrific support group, a parking lot of excited customers, and a store packed to the brim with various expert levels of surfing gear, along with a local government grant for a surf program, which she would also be running lessons for beginners. And despite Ali’s dissent, Ash knows it was all due to the beautiful woman standing next to her. She wraps her arm around Ali’s waist and felt her rest her head on her shoulder just as a rough pair of hands grabs her other shoulder.

“We killed it today, boss!” exclaims Kyle excitedly with a big grin on his face.

“That good? “Ash asks with a smile that mirrors her excitement to the news.

Kyle nods and squeezes her shoulder once more before dropping his arm to his side. “We’re probably going to have to reorder soon and definitely restock tonight. It seems that the locals have gotten sick of the cheap, manufactured boards Ron Jon’s is selling down A1A. We’ve even got a few orders for custom boards!”

“That’s great!” Ali interjects before placing a kiss on her girl’s shoulder.

“How about the lessons? Any interest there?” Ash asks with a bit of hesitation. She knows plenty of places in the area offer them under the guidance of actual pros and isn’t sure how her lessons would be received.

A sly grin creeps across Kyle’s face and he shoots an apologetic look to his sister before turning his attention back to Ash. “Apparently it was a smart idea to put your picture on the brochures because we’ve got quite the list of signups already,” he says while tensing a bit. He knows his sister too well.

“What do you mean it was a good idea to put her picture on it?” Ali asks with a bit of suspicion.

Kyle and Ash share a sheepish grin before Kyle shoves a list into Ash’s hand and quickly makes a bullshit excuse about needing to check with the DJ to make sure he plays a requested song before he disappears into the thick crowd.

“Ashlyn,” Ali states in her demanding voice that has been honed over several years in politics. The look Ali gives her makes Ashlyn want to run and hide, but she reluctantly lets Ali pry the list out of her hands. “It seems that your client list is predominantly female,” Ali states evenly, not letting Ashlyn in on her true feelings which makes the blonde that more afraid.

“Yeah. You know, a lot of older moms really want to learn so they can keep up with their kids,” Ash tries to reason as Ali pages through the second page of information just as a petite, dark haired, exotic looking woman comes up with a wide grin.

“Can’t wait for my surf lesson next week,” she says coyly with a wink. “I’m Janessa, by the way, if you don’t remember,” she says with another wink, extending her hand for Ashlyn to take.

Ash can tell from the clearing of a throat behind her that Ali didn’t miss the wink the woman in her mid-twenties gave her. “Uh, I can’t wait either,” Ash begins, but immediately regrets her words when she hears Ali mutter a comment underneath her breath. “Janessa, this is my wonderful girlfriend, Ali,” she says, slipping her hand around Ali’s waist to pull her forward for the introduction. She hopes it’s enough to salvage the interaction, but her heart is racing as the two women eye each other for a moment. “She’s who you have to thank for this place,” she adds, laying it on extra thick not only for Ali’s benefit, but also for her own.

“Very nice to meet you, Janessa,” says Ali in the sweetest voice she can muster as she takes the other woman’s hand, relying on her political correctness to not tear apart the woman blatantly hitting on her girlfriend in front of her.

“Same,” Janessa returns the smile and hand shake. “Well, I’ll be seeing you next week, Ash,” she says, the flirtation in her voice not missed by anyone. Before leaving, she turns back around, “Oh and should I wear my bikini, or…”

“I’ll have a wetsuit to cover you,” Ash gets out, stumbling over her words which causes Ali to smile internally, knowing how nervous Ash is in the situation. “See you next week!”

Ash gulps as Janessa walks away and she turns to face Ali. “Old, moms, huh?” Ali says with a chuckle as she looks back at her girlfriend with a quirked eyebrow.

“Uh…yeah,” Ash replies with a nervous chuckle as she rubs the back of her slightly flushed neck.

“She one of your previous conquests,” Ali continues. She had picked up on the familiarity Janessa had addressed her with and was thoroughly enjoying making her girlfriend sweat.

Ash nods, but is quick to clarify, “But I don’t want anyone, but you babe! I just-“ She’s cut off by Ali’s lips on her own which catches her off guard for just a moment before her mind catches up and she wraps her arms around her girl’s waist to pull her closer.

“I trust you, Ash,” Ali says honestly, pulling back from the kiss so the blonde can read the sincerity in her eyes.

“Good,” Ash breathes out. “You just love seeing me sweat, don’t you?” she finally asks, confidence fully regained from the encounter now that she knows Ali isn’t upset with her.

Ali nods and kiss her once more before pulling out of her grip. “I do, but I swear to god if any of those tramps touch you I will cut-“

“Easy there,” Ash chuckles, her arms reeling Ali in again for a kiss to silence her idle threats. She wants her to know there’s nothing to worry about. “I only have eyes for you, Alexandra.”

Now it’s Ali’s turn to breathe out a sigh of relief. “Good,” she replies, before letting herself become completely captivated by the kiss.

It quickly deepens and Ash gently slides her tongue into Ali’s mouth before they hear a voice clearing behind them. Ash turns to see a slightly older, and very over-dressed man standing before them.

“Can I help you?” she asks, putting on a forced smile. She doesn’t know why, but for some reason she doesn’t exactly like this man.

“Eli!” Ali exclaims, pulling the man into a hug. “What are you doing here?” she asks, finally pulling out of his arms.

Eli smoothes out his suit coat which was wrinkled from the embrace and looks back at his client. “Well first of all, you’re still in office so you’re still my client.” He begins all business and Ali instantly wonders what kind of awful news or lecture he’s come to bring. “And second of all, I figured it was about time for me to come down here and meet this woman who's turned your life upside down.” He gets a hard glare from Ali and Ash takes a step towards him, so he quickly clarifies, “In a good way, Alex.”

Ali softens a bit at the added words, but Ash still looks skeptical. Ali has told her a lot about her father and Eli and she doesn’t trust, or like the man. For someone whose job it was to help Ali, he sure seemed to be helping Senator Krieger more.

“You’re Ashlyn, I presume?” he asks, turning his attention to the blonde while extending his hand.

Ash takes it and gives him a firm shake, making sure to squeeze his hand a bit harder than she normally would. “I am.”

Eli retracts his hand, flexing it a bit to work out the cramp Ashlyn had just put into it. Ash smirks a bit at this and waits for him to break the silence. “Well, it’s very nice to meet you. I’ve heard a lot of wonderful things about you.”

“Can’t say the same,” Ash replies, her tone short. She hears Ali hiss at her under her breath and is reluctantly about to apologize when Eli puts his hand up to stop her.

“I don’t blame you for being protective,” he begins, casting a sideways glance to Ali that holds something along the lines of an apology. “I know I haven’t always done right by you, Alexandra, but I have tried my best to balance it all.” He turns back to Ashlyn and shifts uncomfortably on his feet. “I’ve been with the Krieger family for a long time, and I’ve always wanted what’s best for Alex. Sometimes my judgment was a bit clouded, but I’ve honestly just wanted to see her succeed.”

“It seems you have a very different definition of success,” Ash replies, looking him square in the eye. She’s seen Ali been toyed with too much by her father and the political landscape and though she knows she’s more than capable of handling it on her own, for once Ash feels like she can actually stand up for her.

“You have me on that one,” he agrees with a contemplative nod. “Politics is a brutal game and it was my job to shield her through that.” Ash nods, but says nothing in response as she continues to wonder what he’s doing there. “Anyways,” Eli continues, breaking through the awkward silence as he looks down on the two women who are now standing side by side, hand in hand. “I came here to offer my support. I know that you’ve both worked very hard to make this come true. Though I can’t say I understand the lure of a small, beach town, I am happy for you, Alex.”

“Thank you,” Ali replies softly. She’s honestly a bit shocked at the purpose of Eli’s visit. “It means a lot to hear that, Eli.”

He nods and then turns back to Ashlyn who is still eyeing him a bit hesitantly. “So you’re not here on some secret mission from Ali’s father to lure her back to Washington?” she asks, a slight hint of playfulness present in her voice, but not enough to ensure Eli that he’s off the hook.

“Absolutely not,” he says confidently. “I’m just here to offer my support. Congratulations on your grand opening. It is quite impressive what you did here in a short amount of time.”

“Well, thank you,” Ash responds. Ali feels her soften a bit and can physically see her shoulders loosen up as a smile works its way onto her lips. “And if you want any surf lessons while you’re here, it’s on the house.”

Eli laughs at the teasing in her voice, but before he can respond he’s cut off by Ali. “Except that you’ll have to get in line behind all the little local hotties that want a piece of my hot surf instructor,” Ali playfully chides, slipping her arm into Ashlyn’s.

“Well then,” Eli says, eyes wide at the frankness of Ali’s words. He’s not used to seeing her so un-refined in her conversations. “I think I’ll pass on the surfing. I don’t think the wet suit life is for me,” he chuckles.

Ash smiles and nods, completely not offended by his refusal. “Of course. Well go eat and drink. Everything is free and I don’t want to have leftovers for the next two weeks.”

“Sounds perfect.” He turns to leave, but a hand on his arm stops him. When he turns expectantly, he is met by a tepid look in Ali’s eyes, as if she is unsure whether or not she should ask what’s on her mind. “What is it, Alex?” he asks, his voice soft and laced with concern.

“Have…have you heard anything from my father?” The question finally rolls off her lips, a question that’s been burning at her since she left him alone in the restaurant a few weeks ago.

Sadly, Eli shakes his head. “He hasn’t been too thrilled with me either, Alex. I’m sure he’ll come around though,” he adds with a hopeful shrug.

Ali nods as he turns back around to make his way over to the make-shift bar that had been set up. Ash can immediately sense her mood has shifted a bit and quickly lifts her chin with a finger to meet her eyes. “Hey, are you okay?” she asks with trepidation.

Ali nods and fights the tears back. It kills her that her relationship with her father had gotten to this point, but she isn’t going to let it ruin Ashlyn’s big day. “I’m good. Promise,” she says, shaking the thoughts from her mind. “Let’s go party hot shot!” she adds emphatically with a wide grin before grabbing Ashlyn’s hand and pulling her into the crowd. 

Though she knows Ali is anything but okay, Ash allows herself to be pulled towards the bar. She’ll let it slide for tonight since Ali will just shrug her worry off anyways, but she knows there are some difficult conversations coming her way. And Senator Ken Krieger is not going to like how they go.


	36. Really? Really.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another update for today. So productive lol anyways this one will be wrapping up soon. It'll be 40 chapters total including the epilogue so only 4 more left after this one. Hope you're still enjoying and as always thanks for the feedback :)

“Hey, Kyle,” Ali says as she wanders into her girlfriend’s shop, pushing her sunglasses to the top of her head as she waves to her brother who is folding some t-shirts for the front display. She smiles proudly, glad to see how far her brother has come in his recovery.

Kyle waves and finishes folding the shirt in his hands before turning to pull his sister into a tight hug. “Hey! How was your trip to D.C.?” he asks. She had spent the last week in Capitol Hill for a House of Representatives session and he was excited to hear how it all went.

“It was good,” Ali nodded, stepping back a bit to look around the shop. It was pristine, something she never would have expected from the often disorganized blonde. “This place looks really good,” she adds, noting how there were several people perusing the racks.

“Yeah, business is good. Ash is a neat freak about this place though. Surprisingly,” he adds with a shrug.

One glance around the place would solidify his statement. Everything is folded neatly, put away in its rightful place and besides a bit of sand by the front door, Ali doesn’t think there’s a speck of dirt anywhere. “Definitely surprising,” she says with a laugh as she looks around a bit more.

Kyle can immediately sense what, or who she’s looking for and points to the back door. “She’s just finishing up with a lesson with some chick,” he says with a teasing glint in his eyes that makes Ali glower. “I’ll go let her know you’re here,” he adds and begins to make his way towards the back door before he feels a hand on his shoulder.

“I’ll do it,” Ali replies and gives him one last smile before heading down the aisle and pushing open the door that lead to the large, wooden back deck. She can easily pick up where her girlfriend is from the booming laugh rippling across the open water as she helps her client up after a spill. Her eyes narrow a bit when the woman in her late thirties clamps onto Ashlyn’s shoulder a bit longer than necessary, holds eye contact a bit more than Ali appreciates and smiles a bit wider than anyone who just got dumped in the ocean and had salt water blasted up their nose should be able to.

After watching for another moment, she finally sees Ashlyn notice her and her entire face immediately lights up, just like it always does when she spots Ali. She says something to her client and tosses her board onto the ground before bounding up the beach to greet her.

“Hey baby!” Ash exclaims excitedly, not even waiting for a response from Ali before she claims her lips in a passionate kiss, a kiss that does wonders to convey all the pent up emotions and sexual frustration after a week apart.

“Hey,” Ali gets out a bit breathlessly when Ash finally breaks the kiss, but still keeps her hands firmly planted on her waist. “I see someone is having fun,” she states sarcastically with a nod towards the water, but the twinkle in her eye lets Ash know it’s all in good fun.

“Is someone jealous?” Ash teases, lifting Ali’s chin with her finger so she can steal another quick kiss.

Ali sticks out her bottom lip and pretends to pout and cross her arms as she looks at Ash in her skin tight wetsuit. “I’m just sad that these other girls get to touch my practically naked girlfriend all week while I’m away for work.”

Ash giggles at her girlfriend’s antics. “Well you’re the only girl I want touching me,” she states honestly. “And after I finish up with this lesson which ends in five minutes, I’m going to show you just how I much I missed touching you,” she whispers in Ali’s ear before slipping out of Ali’s grip. “My bedroom. Five minutes,” she adds with a wink and then turns and jogs back to her client, offering a quick apology for the interruption.

Six minutes later, Ash walks back into the store and leans her board against the wall next to the door.

“Thanks again, Ash,” the older woman says with a smile as she slips her money into the blonde’s hand.

“No problem, Cecilia. You made some good progress since our last lesson. Just call the office when you’re ready to schedule another,” she replies with a charming smile, tucking the money into her pocket.

“You got it! With an instructor as good as you, I’ll be on the pro circuit in no time,” she jokes her head rolling back in laugher.

Ash joins in on the laughter and shakes her head. “Well thanks again. I’ll see you soon, alright?”

The smaller woman nods before grabbing her bag off the back shelf and slipping into the changing room which now has a door and benches, instead of just a rusty pole with curtains hanging from it.

“Hey, Kyle,” Ash says as she walks towards the back of the shop and sees him sitting behind the register doing some inventory. She grabs the money from her pocket and pushes the bills across the counter to Kyle so he can put them into the register.

“Hey! My sister is upstairs,” he says with a nod towards the stairs that sat on the other side of the wall.

Ash nods and a wide smirk crosses her face as she thinks about why Ali is upstairs and all of the things she wants to do to her. The smile fades a bit when she sees Kyle looking at her suspiciously. She definitely needs to get rid of him. It’s been a week and she wants to hear Ali. “Uh…why don’t…why don’t you head out and grab some lunch?” Ash stammers, awkwardly rubbing the back of her neck to try and cover the slight blush creeping up it.

Kyle grimaces, his face scrunching up as he quickly catches on to why he’s being asked to leave. “Ew! Gross!” he shrieks before turning to grab his wallet and hoodie from the cubby under the counter.

Ash chuckles as he quickly scampers out of the shop, flipping the ‘open’ sign to the ‘be back soon’ side on his way out. She doesn’t even wait for the door to close before she turns and sprints up the stairs to where her sexually frustrated girlfriend is waiting for her.

“Hey sexy,” she says in a suggestive voice when she pushes open the door, but her jaw and confident façade immediately falters when she takes in the sight before her. Ali. Naked. In her bed. With a hand between her own legs. “Oh shit,” she whispers in awe as she locks eyes with her girlfriend.

"You're late. I had to get started myself. Want a taste?" Ali asks coyly with a cocky smirk as she holds her glistening fingers up towards Ashlyn.

The blonde does not need to be asked twice as she strips her wetsuit and bikini top off in one smooth motion and stalks towards the bed where Ali is smirking up at her. She grabs her fingers and wraps her lips around them, tasting Ali on her tongue. "You're so sexy," Ash says huskily as she tosses Ali's hand to the side and pushes her flat onto the bed before climbing on top of her. "So. Fucking. Sexy."

"You're not too bad yourself, stud," Ali purrs as she wraps her arms around the blonde's neck and pulls her in for a kiss which quickly becomes heated. It's been a week since they'd been together both know that steamy Skype sessions do not do it justice.

"I missed you," Ash whispers in Ali's ear as she slowly rocks her hips into Ali's with maddening friction. She ghosts her lips down Ali's neck before reversing her path and running her tongue back up to her ear.

Ali turns her head to the side while grabbing Ash's hand that had found purpose groping her breasts. "Show me," she demands in a firm voice as she takes Ash's hand and slides it down between her legs which is already soaking wet with anticipation.

"Gladly," Ash replies as she slides her fingers through Ali's slick folds. The thought to tease her a bit crosses Ashlyn's mind, but when she looks down at Ali and sees her eyes are already screwed shut from just the slight contact, she knows just how much her girl needs it. Besides, Ali has already showed her once already that she doesn't have the patience to wait for Ash.

A sharp gasp slips from Ali's lips when she feels two long fingers slip into her, filling her in a way she hadn't experienced since she last saw the blonde. "Yes, baby," she breathes out as she brings her hips up to meet Ashlyn's movements. "Fuck don't stop," she pleads, her legs curling around the blonde's strong back to pull her in closer as she grinds her hips on her fingers, getting as deep as possible.

It doesn't take long and though she'd like to blame it on the fact that she hasn't been fucked by her girl in over a week, the reality is that it never takes long for Ashlyn to bring her to the edge. She's surrendered her body completely and the only way it ever lasts long is when Ash gets the idea herself to draw it out. 

Today is not one of those days though and Ash applies pressure to Ali's clit and begins curling her fingers, hitting Ali in just the right spot to get her slewing obscenities and cursing deities as she tries to muffle her screams in the crook of Ashlyn's neck. 

Ash pulls back, she got rid of Kyle for a reason and she wants to hear Ali. "Are you going to cum for me?" she asks in a commanding tone and all Ali can do is nod fervently as she feels her whole body rippling with pleasure. "I want to hear my name when you do," Ash continues as she slips another finger in for added measure.

"Fuck, Ashlyn!" the brunette screams loudly and it's not even for show, she literally can't control her body or the spasms that are ripping through her entire body. "Fuck, baby!" Her hands go to Ashlyn's neck and she pulls her in for a deep kiss as the blonde helps work her down from her high, using only one finger to deliver short, slow thrusts that cause Ali's muscles to convulse. "Fuck," she whispers one last time as Ash pulls out and wipes her fingers on a dirty shirt lying on the side of the bed. 

Ali settles back onto the bed, her eyes glued shut as she tries to catch her breath and reign in control of her body. Ash flips over with a smirk and sinks down on her back next to Ali.

“How was your trip?” she asks after a minute as she pulls Ali closer into her side.

“It was alright. Pretty unproductive, but then again they almost always are,” she says with a sarcastic tone, glad she had managed to get ahold of her ragged breathing. “How were things here?”

Ash places a kiss on top of Ali’s head and takes a deep breath as she thinks back on the week. “They were good. Very busy. Kyle was willing to pick up some extra shifts which was nice since the lessons are booked solid through the month.”

“That’s amazing!” Ali exclaims, letting a kiss show her girl just how proud she was. “Is Kyle having any luck finding a place of his own?” she asks. As much as she loved her brother, she didn’t exactly want him living with her forever now that he was out of rehab. Ash’s smile immediately drops and Ali can sense the change in her demeanor. She may have just been wearing the cockiest smirk after what she did to Ali’s body, but suddenly she seemed shy, almost timid. “Hey, what’s wrong, Ash?” she asks, the concern evident as she lifts the blonde’s chin to meet her hesitant gaze.

“Well…I was thinking…maybe he can move in here?” Ash begins in a trepid tone. Ali’s brow furrows a bit, wondering why Ash would volunteer to take her brother in, but she begins to put it together when Ash bites her lip and looks like she’s about to say something profound. “And…maybe we could move in together…” The way Ali recoils at her statement makes Ash wish she could take back the words, suck them back in and never repeat them, but then the corner of Ali’s lips curl up slightly.

“Are you asking to move in with me?” Ali asks, a lopsided smirk crossing her face as she pushes some stray hairs out of Ashlyn’s face.

“Maybe?” Ash squeaks, her voice so unsure that it nearly breaks Ali’s heart. “I mean it makes sense since he works here and you’re moving back from D.C. in a couple weeks, so I just thought that…I don’t know…maybe?”

“I would love that,” Ali finally says, breaking through Ash’s cute stammering and she can see the relief flash through her girlfriend’s face as she lets out a long sigh.

“Really?”

“Really.”


	37. Most Important Person

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ash finally meets papa Kriegs...

Ali wiped the sweat from her brow that had been threatening to drop down from her forehead with the sleeve of her shirt. “Is that all of it?” she asks while cramming the last box into the moving truck.

Ash comes up behind her and nods, slipping her arms around Ali’s waist. “That’s all of it. Though, I’m still not sure how you could have so much stuff to move since you already have more than enough in Florida,” she states honestly, placing a soft kiss on Ali’s shoulder.

Ali turns in her arms and leans back against the edge of the truck, pulling Ashlyn forward with her. “You should just be thankful I’m not bringing the furniture,” Ali replies sassily with a glare. She knows Ashlyn doesn’t have nearly as much stuff as she did and had reluctantly agreed to part with the majority of things from her D.C. condo as they were packing it up. The furniture and interior decorations were going to be sold, and the clothes and more material things were being shipped down in a moving van.

“I still don’t know how one person can possess so many things,” Ash retorts, looking past Ali into the moving truck which already held more things than she possessed in her apartment, which was also packed up and ready for Kyle to move into.

Ali shrugs before turning so she can tug the door of the truck down. She walks around to the front where the tattooed, tough looking man was standing, scratching his bald head with a cigarette tucked into his lips. “So it will all be there in two days?” she asks, her hands on her hips.

The man nods and pulls the cigarette from his mouth. “Yup. We have a bit more to pick up on the way down. Can you sign here,” he asks, grabbing a clipboard from the hood of the truck next to where he was leaning.

Ali grabs it and reads it over quickly before signing it. “Alright. Thank you very much!”

He nods and then yanks open the creaky door to the driver’s seat before slipping in. With a wave, he fires up the roaring engine and then pulls out of the parking lot and onto the street.

The truck kicks up a bit of dust and Ali coughs into her sleeve before turning and meeting Ashlyn’s gaze. “Now for the hard part,” she says cautiously which makes Ali’s brow furrow. “I uh...I may have called and had a discussion with your father while you were upstairs packing up the last boxes. He’d like us to meet him for dinner tonight…” Her voice carries off and she’s unsure of it herself, hoping that Ali doesn’t completely hate her or think she’s overstepping her boundaries.

Ali stares back at her with a slightly agape mouth, unsure whether she should slap Ashlyn or hug her. The last meeting she had with her father, the dinner where she left him sitting in the restaurant alone, is still a vivid memory, as is the fact that he hadn’t once tried to reach out to her since then. She had pretty much resigned herself to the fact that her father would always take his career over his family, a fact that made her insides crawl with anger. How anyone could put something above their family was a strange thought to her. “You what?” she finally whispers, realizing that Ash was waiting for some type of response.

The blonde can’t read Ali and she hesitantly takes a step towards her and grasps her arms. “I had a stern conversation with your father and he uh…he wants to meet me, meet us at dinner tonight.”

“Okay,” Ali breathes out, still unsure of it, but thankful that Ash took the initiative on something she knew was bothering her. “When?”

Ash looks down at the gold watch Ali had recently gotten her. “An hour…”

The brunette nods before dropping her face into her palms and rubbing them. Her mind is in overdrive and she’s caught off guard, but somehow she feels like with Ash by her side that she can take on anything, even her overbearing, cold father. “Alright. Let’s go get ready,” she says with a nervous chuckle and grabs Ash’s hand to pull her upstairs.

…..

 

“You must be Ashlyn?” says a deep voice, followed by an outstretched hand.

Ashlyn takes it and nods, making sure to give her girlfriend’s father a firm handshake. The last thing she wants him to think is that she’s a pushover or is afraid of him. “Senator Krieger, it’s nice to finally meet you.” She feels him tighten his grip and eye her up and down, taking in the way her red tie is tucked into her gray vest and how her black wing-tip shoes poke out from underneath her black pants.

“Nice to finally meet you as well,” he says, finally pulling his eyes up and meeting Ashlyn’s gaze with a firm expression of his own. He hadn’t taken too kindly to the way Ashlyn had spoken to him on the phone. Quite frankly, he wasn’t used to anyone talking to him like that. “Shall we,” he asks, sliding Ali’s chair out from underneath the table, beating Ash to it.

They all take their seats and place their orders. Once the waitress has sauntered away, an awkward silence falls over the table until Ali finally breaks it. “So dad, you wanted to see us?” she asks, her voice laced with a bit of annoyance. Of course her father would have chosen the same restaurant that she stormed out on him for their dinner tonight.

“Well after your lovely girlfriend called to introduce herself to me, I figured I should get to know her. After all, I guess it’s serious enough for you to throw your career away for so I’m assuming she’ll be around for a while?”

Ali rolls her eyes and is about to go off on her father when she feels Ashlyn give her thigh a light squeeze, effectively calming her down. “Ashlyn has nothing to do with my decision to leave politics,” she begins, her tone firm and unwavering. “And yes she will definitely be around for a long time,” she adds with a strong sense of confidence which makes Ash squeeze her leg tighter, and even slide her hand up a bit. She smacks her hand lightly and fights the grin forming on her face as Ashlyn begins rubbing her thigh, getting dangerously close to slipping underneath her dress.

“I still don’t understand the reasoning, Alex. It was all laid out for you on a silver platter. All you had to do was keep your head down and go with the flow.” He eyes her with an intense gaze, a gaze that used to make her back down, but not anymore.

“That’s not what I want for my life. I want to live, to actually enjoy life and I can’t do that if I’m tied to a political party and hounded by paparazzi looking at my every move to find their next headline. It’s not what I want.” She plucks her glass of wine from the table and sips her wine, trying to ignore the fact that Ashlyn’s fingers are now rubbing the bare skin underneath the hem of her dress.

Senator Krieger sighs and shakes his head. “And you,” he says, casting his glance to Ashlyn who immediately removes her hand from Ali’s dress and sits up straight. “You think she’s doing the right thing? Throwing away her career and everything she’s worked so hard for for a beach bum life?”

Ashlyn coughs to cover the immediate reaction to him calling her a beach bum and quickly sets her face. “Senator Krieger, as I told you poignantly on the phone earlier today, I will support your daughter in whatever endeavors she chooses. It caught me off guard as well when she decided to pull out of the race for reelection, but I love your daughter and I will support her in her decisions just as she’s supported me in mine.”

Ali smiles as she watches Ashlyn so confidently address her father. Not many people have success in doing so, even other Senators and people in power positions. It makes her want to take Ashlyn right then and there, but she holds her breath knowing that her father is about to up his efforts. Krieger’s don’t back down from a challenge.

“And you think you will make her happy? Do you think that a surfer girl with little ambition working at a bar really deserves to be with my daughter, a Congresswoman with a law degree from an Ivy League school? I don’t see how you two can have anything in common,” he scoffs, his glare intensifying as he tries to get Ashlyn to back down.

“Mr. Krieger,” she begins, formalizing her addressing of him to irk the man, “I think those are questions for Ali, don’t you think?Your daughter is a smart, beautiful and very intelligent woman. If she’s with me it’s because she wants to be with me and quite frankly her opinion of me is the only one I really value. Her opinion and that of my family and friends is what matters to me and I am loyal to the ones I love. I don’t need negativity in my life and I won’t let it bring me down. Your daughter and I are very happy and I think as a parent that should be your number one priority, don’t you?” she asks with a raised eyebrow and stern tone.

Ken laughs and sets his Scotch down on the table roughly. “You think you know how to be a better parent than me? You don’t know the first thing about raising a family or children. How dare you.”

“How dare you!” Ashlyn replies, her tone raising a bit as she points a finger at the Senator. “You have a beautiful, accomplished daughter and an amazing son and you would choose your career over both of them. I have probably been a better influence on your son than you ever have!” she says hotly, getting more irritated at the pompous man sitting before her.

The words cut deep into Ken and he narrows his gaze. “Alexandra, are you going to let this woman talk to me like that?” he exclaims, casting a glance to his daughter.

For a moment, Ali feels like a little girl again. A little girl under her father’s influence and she’s struggling to maintain her composure but when she looks to her right and sees Ashlyn glaring at her father with a set jaw, protecting her just like she always promised she would, her fears quickly vanish. “That woman is my girlfriend and besides Kyle is the most important person in my life. So yes, she can speak to you however she likes, especially when she’s right. She’s done for me and Kyle than you ever have. You think throwing money at us and sending us to fancy schools is what we needed, but it’s not. What we needed was a dad, not the latest iPhone or the fanciest car or a dad who had his name in all the newspapers. Kyle needed you most of all. Did you know that he got released from rehab? He has his own place and is actually working at Ashlyn’s shop now. He’s doing great, but you wouldn’t know that because you don’t care. All you care about is your job. That’s why you lost mom and that’s why you lost your kids too! I’m done with this. I’m sorry you had to go through this babe,” she says turning her attention to Ashlyn. “Let’s go.” She extends her hand and Ashlyn quickly takes it.

They reach the front door when Ashlyn gently puts her hand on Ali’s shoulder. “Go to the car. I will be right out. I need to talk to your father,” she says before heading back into the restaurant to have the talk she had intended on having when she arrived.


	38. You Saved Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only two left!! And for those interested I promise there will be a flashback part which deals with Ash's convo with the Senator. Also slight smut alert in this one. Enjoy :)

“Hey, Megan,” Ashlyn says with a cheery smile as she walks past the secretary posted by the front door. She had just come from an important meeting and had some great news to share with her girlfriend. “Is she in her office?” The younger woman, fresh out of school nods and tells Ash she’s not with a client so she slips past her and pushes Ali’s office door open. “How’s my beautiful girlfriend doing?”

Ali looks up from her desk with a tired sigh, but smiles when she sees Ash pull a small handmade bouquet of flowers out from behind her back. “Ash, did you take those from the garden out front?” she asks with an eye roll, but gets up to give her sheepishly grinning girlfriend a quick peck on the lips before plucking the flowers from her hands.

The blonde shrugs and digs around in a box until she finds an empty face that’s the perfect size for her stolen flowers. “I thought this office could use a little color,” she finally says, looking around at the boring, white walls of Ali’s new office building.

It had only been a week since Ali had moved into the new office building and although she was still waiting on the sign to be delivered, the Krieger Firm was taking on customers already. She had hired a secretary and surprisingly had her pick of the lot as being a retired Congresswoman had its lure. Her secretary, a young woman named Megan who just graduated with a major in legal studies from Brown University was a hard worker, but still knew how to have fun. After a life of politics, Ali was done with stuffy offices and boring meetings. She had hired a painting team to come in and spruce up the office and she was excited for them to come at the end of the week.

“Well the painters are coming soon so my office will be a nice tranquil blue color, or something like that,” she mumbles, still a bit unsure of what color she wanted her office to be.

Ash spins around and looks at the dark walnut furniture in the room and nods. “I think blue would look nice,” she supplies and then turns back to face Ali with a wide smile.

“Blue it is,” Ali replies, returning Ash’s smile with a wide one of her own. “I still can’t believe this place is actually up and running,” she says with a disbelieving sigh, plopping down onto her plush office chair with no care to her posture.

Ash bites her lips when she catches a glimpse of her girl’s inner thigh underneath the hem of her dress. A cocky grin forms across her face as she pushes the door of Ali’s office closed behind her and takes a few steps towards her. Ali can immediately pick up on the lust filled stare she’s receiving from Ashlyn and clicks her intercom button. “Meg, can you push my one o’clock back twenty minutes?” she asks, trying to keep a calm voice even though Ashlyn is running her fingers up her legs and had swept her hair off her neck to shower it with hot, open-mouthed kisses.

“Sure thing, Ms. Krieger!” comes a chirpy voice from the speaker before Ali pushes her chair back from the desk to give Ashlyn more room to work. "You've got fifteen minutes. Better get to work," she challenges. 

Ash looks down at Ali and the cocky smirk on her lips. "Glad to know there's plenty of time to tease you," she whispers into Ali's ear before nibbling on her earlobe and rubbing her fingers over Ali's panties. "Mmm you're so wet for me already," she purrs, her teeth digging into the soft flesh of Ali's neck, sending shivers down the brunette's spine.

"Ash, please," she pleads after a few minutes of Ash rubbing her lightly while sucking gently on her neck. She knows that Ash is just teasing her. 

"Please what?" she mumbles into the crook of Ali's neck, her fingers tracing around her erect nipple showing through her sheer red dress.

"Please fuck me," she begs, immediately gasping when she feels Ash increase the pressure on her clit. 

"You said I had fifteen minutes," Ash argues softly, keeping her fingers rubbing lazy patterns on Ali's hard clit. 

Ali's had enough, pushes Ash off her and lifts her hips to slide her own panties off, tossing the black lace thong onto her desk. She stares back at her intently. "I swear to god if you make me wait one more minu-" she starts, but isn't able to finish when Ash drops to her knees and buries her face between Ali's legs. "Jesus!" she screams, immediately turning red when she thinks about Megan in the other room. She thinks she'll just buy her lunch to make up for it, but her thoughts quickly dissipate when Ash shifts lower, sliding her tongue through her slick folds before thrusting her tongue into her.

If Ali was feeling good before, now she feels like she's flying. It's as if she's left her body and she feels herself floating as Ash quickly brings her to orgasm, not stopping until Ali puts a hand to her forehead and pushes we back so she can catch her breath and regain feeling in her limbs. She sits back in her chair for a moment, her chest quickly rising and falling as everything slowly comes back into focus. 

“Well then,” Ali finally says with a smirk as she leans forward and wipes herself off of Ashlyn’s chin with her thumb. “That was quite the office chair christening,” she purrs, unable to wipe the wide grin from her face as her body is still feeling the aftershocks rippling through.

“Do we have time for an office desk christening?” Ash asks with a quirked eyebrow and cocky tone as she leans in to kiss Ali deeply.

With a glance to the clock Ali groans. She knew her next appointment was coming in soon and that she needed to prep a bit. “Unfortunately, that will have to wait for another day my dear,” she says sweetly as she lifts her hips and slips her panties back on and fixes her dress which had been pushed up past her hips.

The blonde pretend pouts, but Ali knows it’s all in good fun. “Fine. I guess I’ll have to come ambush you another day,” she says with a wink that gets an eye roll out of Ali.

“Oh, I’m taking you out for dinner tonight to celebrate!” Ali says as she rolls her chair back towards the desk to continue reading over the file she had been examining before Ash arrived.

“Celebrating?” Ash asks with a confused expression. Sure she had come to tell Ali the good news, but she hadn’t actually told her since she had gotten a bit preoccupied.

Ali sets her pen down and shoots her girlfriend a look that says ‘really?’ before shaking her head. “Kyle told me yesterday that you had some big meeting today and I’m assuming you most likely didn’t just come here to seduce me. Judging by the flowers you brought and the amazing blow job I just received, I’d say you’re in a pretty good mood, so yeah, we’re celebrating. Pick me up here at 7,” she states in a tone of authority that Ash can only grin widely at before she blows her a kiss and turns back to her work since a client was coming in twenty minutes.

Yeah her girl knows her all too well, but she doesn’t mind one bit. “Yes ma'am. See you at 7,” Ash says with a chuckle as she slips out of her office to head back to her own business.

…….

 

“So care to tell me why we’re celebrating?” Ali asks as they settle into their usual booth at the upscale steakhouse on the beach.

Ash just smiles and watches as Ali unfolds her napkin and places it on her lap. She had left her black blazer at the office and was just wearing a tight, mid thigh length red dress with a swooping neckline. Her hair was swept over one shoulder and she couldn’t stop smiling at the image of her beautiful girlfriend in front of her, more so at the fact that they had both come so far on their separate journeys as well as the one they were on together. Less than a year ago she was working at her friend’s bar at a pity job sleeping her way through heartbreak. Now she was a successful business owner with an amazing, intelligent and strong woman by her side. She was never one to believe in karma, but she would often think that Ali coming in to right her life was reward for dealing with all the hard times sent her way.

“Ash?”

Ali’s voice pulls her from her trance and she smiles a bit larger, her dimple in full display as she looks back at her girlfriend adoringly. “Well I had a meeting with the mayor. It turns out the surf program I was running with the rehab facility was a huge success and they want to expand it to three other facilities.”

“That’s great!” Ali exclaims, proud of the way her girlfriend had taken the opportunity and ran with it. She knew how hard Ash was working, not only with the patients coming in to surf, but also the fact that she hired a few of them to work part time under her and Kyle. It was great not only for them, but also the community and gave them a nice transition back into the real world.

“Yeah I mean some of them are farther away, so I might have to travel a bit and probably hire another instructor. It’s going to be stressful, but-“

“Ash,” Ali states firmly, pulling her from her rambling. When the blonde stops talking and looks back at her with an open mouth, Ali just flashes her million dollar smile. “That is amazing. I’m so proud of you.”

A redness and heat creeps up Ashlyn’s neck, spreading to her cheeks. “You’re proud of me?” she playfully scoffs pointing back and forth between them. “Coming from the woman who was a Congresswoman by the time she was 27 and just started her own law firm which already has some of Brevard County’s best clients? Funny, Alex.”

“Yes. I am proud of you,” Ali replies, her smile slipping a bit and voice becoming more serious. She knows Ash is modest when it comes to things like this and just wants her to know how special she is. Reaching across the table she slips her hands over Ashlyn’s and holds them tightly. “I’m proud of the woman who has been dealt more heartbreak and struggle in 29 years than most deal with in a lifetime. Proud of how you handled it all, and the fact that though you strayed from the path a bit you never gave up. And more importantly, proud of the way you’ve grown so much and become an inspiration not just for those patients or this community, but also for me. You saved me, Ash.”

Ashlyn looks back at Ali who is staring at her with a look of awe and her own eyes are fighting to hold back the tear the developed in the corner of her eyes. “You saved me too, Alex.”


	39. Perfect Storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All that's left after this is the epilogue. Might take me a couple days to get that one out. Let me know if there's anything you guys want to see in it and I'll try to work it in!! Thanks again for taking the time to read my story :)

Ashlyn glanced up at the TV screen and a huge grin spread across her face. **Tropical Storm Hannah Bearing Down on Florida Coast.** She turns to see Jenna grinning at her as well.

“Are you going to get all sentimental every time a giant storm comes thundering into town?” she asks with a cocked eyebrow as she slides a Corona across the bar to Ash and a glass of water to Kyle.

Ash just shrugs and turns her attention back to the TV where they are talking about it possibly developing into a full-blown hurricane when it hits the warm coastal water. “Maybe,” she replies casually, receiving a soft elbow in the ribs from Kyle. “What?” she asks, but the growing smile on his face lets her know that he’s well aware of what’s going on. He’s just surprised it took this many hurricane seasons to get to it.

Jenna glances down at her wrist, reading the time on her watch. She sighs and pokes her head into the back door, only to find that the other bartender hadn’t shown up yet. “I miss you working here,” Jenna pouts, wondering why it’s so hard to find reliable help.

“As much as I love you, I do not miss it one bit, Jen,” Ash counters with a laugh before taking a sip of her beer. “You could always sell this place and come work for me?” she asks with a grin.

“Not a chance, Harris,” she replies sassily with a playful eye roll.

“Awe, she’s not that bad to work for,” Kyle interjects and receives a light punch in the shoulder from the blonde next to him. “And honestly I’m not even sure we could keep up with lessons if we had _two_ hot surf instructors,” he teases and quickly pushes back from his seat to dodge the blows from both women. “Alright. Alright. Alright,” he surrenders with his hands in the air. “Just saying. Ash brings in quite the clientele list.”

Jenna chuckles and shakes her head at Kyle’s ribbing, not missing how Ashlyn’s cheeks turn a slight pink. Kyle is her girlfriend’s brother after all and he witnesses her getting hit on literally almost every day. “Aw, how does Ali feel about all that attention?” she asks, knowing the fiery brunette can have a bit of a jealous streak.

“She deals with it alright,” Ash supplies. She knows Ali trusts her and honestly does feel bad about her clients flirting with her. As gorgeous as some of them are, it’s unwanted attention since she only has eyes for her sassy lawyer.

“Ash is great.” Kyle is quick to come to her rescue. He sees day in and day out the restraint Ash shows and honestly is a bit in awe at the ease she lets the other women down with. On more than one occasion he’s made sure to mention to Ali how loyal Ash is. “Those girls don’t even stand a chance.”

She laughs, thankful for the vote of confidence before her phone vibrates. She looks at the time and sighs, before throwing back the last few sips of her drink. “Well I’ve actually got to get going. Kyle, you’re good with the shop right? You and Brian can board it up if the storm is a bad as they think?”

Kyle nods. He’s been with Ash at the shop for the last year and half and has seen how dedicated and generous the blonde is. More than that, he’s seen their relationship grow and appreciates the trust she has in him. “Of course, Ash. I’ve got your house covered too. I’ll keep an eye out on the weather reports.”

“If it gets too sketchy last minute though, I don’t want you to worry about it,” she says sternly. “It’s not worth it so just get out if it comes down to it, okay?”

“You got it boss,” he says with a mock salute. Kyle turns his attention to Jenna, “If you need any last minute help boarding up here too let me know. After I finish the shop I can come over and help.”

Jenna smiles appreciatively back at him. “Aw thanks, dude. I’ll let you know.”

Ash slides a five dollar bill on the bar for her drink, ignoring Jenna’s attempts to throw it back at her. Since the Harris Family Surf Shop opened, business has been great and they had even spread the rehab surf program to five different facilities, increasing the grants each time. Though Ali still made more money at her law firm which had also grown to three lawyers and two law clerks, Ash and the shop weren't far behind, a fact that she found a lot of pride in. “Well, I’ll see you guys next week,” she says a bit nervously as she slides off her chair and plants her feet on the ground.

“Have fun!” Jenna calls over her shoulder as she exits the bar with one last wave. She hops into her Jeep and makes the short drive to her and Ali’s house. A quick glance into the garage lets her know that Ali isn’t home from work yet so she smiles as she slips into their bedroom and grabs the bags she had packed to toss into the Jeep. If all goes to plan, they’ll be on a plane to Aruba that night to celebrate and escape the storm coming in.

Twenty minutes later, the front door swings open and Ali comes stumbling in with a heavy box of files in her arms and her purse slung over her shoulder. Ash groans as she takes the box from Ali’s hands with a kiss when she see’s Ali’s laptop bag, knowing the brunette might fight her on the “no work” rule she was going to try to implement.

“Hey baby,” Ali says cheerily as she follows Ashlyn into her office where the blonde sets the box down.

“Hey,” Ash replies with a warm smile as she wraps her arms around Ali’s waist and pulls her in for a proper kiss. “How was work, hot stuff?”

Ali shakes her head at Ashlyn’s term of endearment. She never ceases to amaze her with the nicknames she can come up with. “It was good,” she chuckles against Ashlyn’s lips. “We got the Henderson account which is pretty cool.”

“Cool?” Ash says pulling back, her eyes wide. “That’s amazing! That’s a multi-million dollar client, Alex!”

Ali shrugs it off and Ash just has to laugh at her humility. “Say it.”

“Say what?” Ali asks.

“Say that you’re amazing,” Ash responds, pulling Ali in closer.

“Ash, stop!” She tries to wriggle free from the blonde’s grip, but it only tightens.

“Say it!” Ash shrieks playfully, pinning Ali’s arms behind her back with one hand as she starts to tickle her with the other.

“Okay! Okay!” Ali shrieks when Ash hits her weak spot right where her ribs end. “I’mamazing.”

“There we go,” Ash says with a smirk as she releases a breathless Ali from her grip.

A silence settles between them as they hold each other’s gaze. Finally, Ash speaks up, though Ali can sense some hesitation. “Will you come out back with me for a minute?”

“Sure,” Ali replies with a skeptical expression, wondering what her girlfriend is up to. “Can I ask why?”

Ash shakes her head as she strolls past Ali, wordlessly grabbing her hand to follow. She pulls Ali out the back door, past the deck and onto the sand. She settles Ali in front of her, taking in the stiff wind blowing in her face and the cool, wet sand beneath her feet. It’s calm where they are, but off in the distance they can see the storm coming. The clouds are a brilliant swirl of dark gray with hints of blue of purple. It’s calm now, but they know in a day’s time this beach will look completely different; covered with rippling waves and flying debris.

“It’s always so beautiful before the storm,” Ali says softly as she wraps Ashlyn’s arms tighter around her waist and leans her head back onto her shoulder.

Ash smiles, amazed at how Ali is unknowingly on the same page. “Remember our first storm together?” she asks and gets a soft chuckle and nod from Ali in response. “I remember like it was yesterday,” Ash continues. “There was this weird sense of calm before we were hit with the perfect storm.”

“I remember,” Ali interjects. She thinks back to the day where Ashlyn had saved in her more ways than one. “Those stories came out and then we got trapped here,” she says with a laugh, glad that it’s something they can now look back on and smile since things had turned out alright.

“The calm before the storm,” Ash muses, “that’s when I first realized I loved you,” Ash whispers, admitting something to Ali that she hadn’t before.

Ali’s heart catches in her throat and she turns to face Ashlyn. “I remember,” Ali replies quietly, meeting Ashlyn’s gaze with an intense one of her own. “I remember realizing that day that I loved you as well,” she says with a shy smirk. “It really was the perfect storm, huh?” she asks, rhetorically, but Ash still nods.

“It was.” She plants a kiss on Ali’s forehead and takes in a deep breath, the scent of Ali’s tropical shampoo mixing with the salty, sea air. She feels her heart rate pick up a bit as she tries to gain her composure. “That’s why I always smile when a big storm, like that one,” she points to the system brewing off the coast, “comes in. It reminds me of that day, of how lucky I am to have you and how I should always appreciate having you by my side.”

“Aw, you’re so sweet Ash,” Ali begins, but is cut off by a chaste kiss on her lips.

“I’m not done,” Ash says shakily as she pushes back a bit and grabs Ali’s hand in her own. She hopes Ali doesn’t notice that they’re trembling a bit, but honestly at this point it doesn’t matter. “Alex, I know we had a rough beginning and that both of us maybe held back what we were truly feeling and because of that we almost lost each other. I can’t even imagine not having you in my life and I’ve realized a lot since then. I never want you to go a single day without knowing how much I love you and how much I appreciate everything that you have done for me. I never want to keep anything from you, especially how I’m feeling and that’s why I need to tell you, well rather ask you something.” 

Keeping one hand interlocked, Ash drops Ali’s other hand and grabs a small box from her back pocket while dropping to one knee. Ali’s hand flies to her mouth as Ash grins widely and slowly opens the box. “Alex, I’ve been thinking about this day for a long time and I thought, what better day to profess my undying love for you than during the calm before the storm, when I first realized it myself. I know that things will come our way and we might think our heads are under water, but I want you by my side fighting through it all. I want to protect you and love you and I promise I will try and make you the happiest woman. Will you please marry me?”

A rain begins to fall from the light gray storm clouds above them, pattering down onto their heads as Ali furiously nods and drops to her knees, throwing her arms around Ashlyn’s neck. “Yes! I will marry you,” she says in an ecstatic voice as she leans down and kisses Ashlyn deeply. She pulls back after a moment and looks into Ashlyn’s hazel eyes which are full of love and a blissful joy. “I will absolutely marry you, Ashlyn Harris,” she adds, before pulling the blonde in for another kiss, oblivious of the heavy rain and wind whipping around them.


	40. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well here it is, the end of the road!! Thank you to everyone who took the time to read my work. I appreciate everyone who does and I really do love being able to interact with you all. I hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it :) you guys all rock!
> 
> Also I got a tumblr if anyone ever wants to send me promts or anything like that... buffalo1221

“And here they are now, your new President of the United States Gregory Stally and Vice President of the United States, Ken Krieger!”

The audience erupts into wild, frantic cheers as the red, white and blue confetti rains down on the entire room of smiling people. Ashlyn wraps one arm around her wife’s shoulder, pulling her in tightly to place a kiss on her head as she looks up at the falling confetti with a wide grin. Ali sinks into her wife’s embrace, still in disbelief of everything that had happened over the last five years.

After a moment, the cheering dies down and Ken glances around the room before his eyes settle on his daughter and light up with pride. He quickly hops off the stage and slowly jogs over to them, wrapping Ali up in a tight hug. “I’m so glad you’re here,” he says honestly, his voice a bit shaky which is unusual for the ever confident man. “And you guys too,” he adds, pulling back from the hug to ruffle the dark hair of the little three year old boy Ashlyn was holding in her arms before pulling both his grandson and daughter-in-law into a crushing hug.

“What about me?” Kyle asks shyly, popping his head out from behind Ali with a hopeful expression.

Ken drops his arms to his side as he leans back a bit, locking eyes with his son. A large smile creeps across his face as he brushes past Ali and Ashlyn, stepping towards his son. He spreads his arms out wide before grabbing Kyle and yanking him towards him. “I’m so glad you’re here too, Kyle,” he states honestly, trying to keep the tears at bay that are threatening to spill out as he holds his oldest child in his arms, something he very nearly lost the right to do. “I’m proud to have you here.”

The men finally break apart, both with wide smiles and stray tears threatening to spill out. Ken quickly looks away, turning his attention back to his daughters. “Can you believe this?” he asks to his family surrounding him, his tone conveying how shocked he really is as the crowd starts to close in around them. They’re unsure if he’s referencing his recent election or the fact that they’re all there to celebrate with him, but all return his question with proud smiles. They’ve come a long way not only individually, but also as a family.

Ali just nods, knowing all along what her father was capable of if he had just settled on his priorities. “I can, dad,” she replies, her hand giving his forearm a light, reassuring squeeze. “Now go enjoy your celebration! We’ll meet you at the after party later, okay?”

Ken nods as he gives Ali and Kyle quick hugs goodbye before turning to face Ashlyn. He steps in for a hug and whispers a few things in her ear before leaning back and patting her arm and giving a kiss to little Mikey’s head. “I’ll see you guys in a little bit, okay?” he asks for reaffirmation, not wanting to miss out on spending time celebrating with them.

“Of course,” Ashlyn replies. “We wouldn’t miss it.” She shares a knowing look with the Vice President which the siblings pick up on, but don’t mention at the moment. Ali makes a mental note to ask about it later.

Ken nods and then waves goodbye before slipping through the crowd. Ashlyn watches him go, shaking her head slightly at how everything had worked out. She’s pulled from her thoughts by a little boy shifting in her arms and turns around to face her wife and Kyle. “This little guy is getting rambunctious,” she says with a chuckle while trying to avoid a rogue slap from the wiggly boy dressed to the nines in an all black suit and red tie to match her. 

“I’ll take him!” Kyle says, swooping in to grab his nephew from Ash. “We’ll run around in the hallways to work off some energy and meet you back at your hotel room in fifteen, okay?”

Ash smiles and is about to agree when she feels Ali’s hand on her arm to stop her. “Make it half an hour, Kyle,” she says nonchalantly, but the grimace on Kyle’s face lets her know that he knows exactly what she’s asking for. He doesn’t say anything, just scrunches up his face and nods before setting Mikey down and chasing him out of the large hotel banquet room and into the hallway.

“Thanks for buying us that extra time,” Ash says with a smile after they slip into the elevator as she slides her hands down to Ali’s ass and leans in for a deep kiss. With a three year old in the house, they often didn’t get to spend as much intimate time together as they would like and Ashlyn was definitely feeling in a mood. A hand to her chest, pushes her back a bit and she meets Ali’s eyes which aren’t filled with lust like she figures hers are. “What’s wrong?” Ashlyn asks as she looks down at her wife.

“You never did tell me what you said to my dad all those years ago,” she starts cautiously, unsure how to broach the subject that has bothered her since the day they first met over five years ago.

Ashlyn pulls back a bit, noting the serious tone in Ali’s voice. “How long has that question been eating away at you?” she asks.

Ali shrugs and reaches behind her to grab Ashlyn’s hands off her waist. “Since that day,” she answers shyly. “I figured it was personal, or maybe something I didn’t want to hear, but…I just want to know, Ash. I want to know what you said that made him do a complete one eighty.”

The mood has shifted significantly and when the elevator dings and the doors open to their floor, Ash pulls Ali out of it towards their room, knowing their half an hour of free time likely won’t be spent how she wanted it to be. She unlocks the door with the key card from her jacket pocket and pushes the door open, entering behind her wife who immediately plops down on the edge of the king bed in their suite.

“You really want to know?” Ashlyn asks, a slight grimace on her face. She knows Ali won’t be mad, but honestly isn’t sure she wants to tell her wife what she said to her father so long ago. The words weren’t exactly cordial or very present. It also lets Ali in on a little secret that she hadn’t ever mentioned to the brunette.

Ali nods and scoots back on the bed so she’s leaning against the headboard and pats the space next to her with an inviting smile, letting her wife know it’s okay to go on.

With a soft sigh, Ash crawls onto the bed and lays beside her wife who quickly cuddles into her side. “Well I guess if you really want to know,” she begins as her mind drifts back to the night in the restaurant so many years ago.

 

_“Did you forget something?” the Senator asks angrily as he glares back at his daughter’s girlfriend who had just made her way back to the table they left him sitting at alone. It was the second time in as many meetings with his daughter that she had stormed out and he was extremely irritated. No one stood him up, no one spoke to him like that._

_Ashlyn pulls out her chair and slips into it, leaning across the table to make the scene appear more natural to any on-lookers. The last thing she wanted was to create a huge fiasco. She had already been a part of enough of them in her short time in Ali’s life and wanted to keep something on the down low. “Mr. Krieger,” she begins, but a hand in the air cuts her off._

_“Senator. It’s Senator Krieger,” he replies through clenched teeth. He’ll be damned if this small town, beach girl will talk to him disrespectfully, no matter how much his daughter thinks she loves her. “I am a Senator of the United States of America and you will address me as such.”_

_Ashlyn sucks in a deep calming breath, resisting the urge to reach out and smack the man. “Well the funny thing is, I’m not here addressing you as the Senator of the United States. I’m here addressing you as your daughter’s girlfriend, the daughter that somehow through all your years of neglect still loves you unconditionally.”_

_Senator Krieger scoffs and rolls his eyes. “Unconditional love? She’s stormed out on me twice in the last month,” he replies angrily. “That’s disrespectful and I won’t stand for it!”_

_“You ever think she’s doing that because she loves you? Because maybe she hopes you’ll finally realize what is at stake? Respect is earned, not given Senator,” she replies hotly. “You daughter and your son love you, but you’re losing them. You are so close to losing them and I don’t think you honestly know what that means.” Ashlyn is starting to get worked up, but she tries to keep her composure. She knows how important this is to Ali, even if she won’t actually admit it. “You are going to lose your beautiful daughter and your amazing son, and guess what? When I marry your daughter one day, which I will do with or without your permission, and we have a beautiful baby, you’re going to miss out on that too. You’ll never see your grandbaby, never get to hold them and kiss them and tuck them into bed at night. And yeah they might grow up seeing your face on TV accepting awards and nominations and moving up the political ladder, but that’s all they’ll ever know of you, a smiling face on a TV screen. They’ll never hear you laugh, never get to feel you kiss their cheek and be there when they take their first steps or win their first soccer game. And when they get old enough to ask about you, to try to understand why you don’t care enough to be there for them, all we’ll be able to do is shrug and say that grandpa chose his career over his family and that’s why he missed weddings and birthdays and holidays and graduations. Is that worth it, Senator? Is your career and your precious pride worth losing your whole family over?”_

_Ken dips his eyes, unable to meet the fiery blonde’s gaze as she spews her words, her truthful words. It hits him deep, in a way that no one has been able to do before and he has to bite his cheek to keep from breaking down in front of her. No one has ever quite laid it down like that for him, never spelled it out so clearly and suddenly he feels as if the life has left him, as if nothing really matters in that moment as he thinks about what he could be losing out on. His throat clenches up and he’s unable to find the words to respond._

_Ashlyn takes his silence as answer enough. “Figures. You know I lost my dad last year and I would do anything to have him back, to just spend one more day with him. Anything. You have that chance, you have two wonderful, amazing children and I just don’t understand how you could put anything above that. I guess if you ever want to get your priorities straight and start showing up for your family, you’re welcome to visit us anytime in Florida. I know Ali would love to show you around and Kyle really could use your support. Here’s my number,” she says, sliding a Surf Shop business card across the table which listed her work and cell phone numbers. “Goodbye, Mr. Krieger.”_

 

“Wow,” Ali says quietly as Ashlyn finishes up telling her how she left him silently sitting there again. “I can’t believe you said all of that to him,” she states honestly. She knows that she’s had choice words with her father before, but no one besides her has every really gone toe to toe with her father, and even less people have actually come out victoriously in the standoff. Her victory was clear as day when Ken had shown up in Satellite Beach the week after with his tail between his legs while he started to make amends and repair relationships.

Ashlyn shrugs and kisses Ali’s temple. “I know how much he means to you and Kyle even if he wouldn’t admit it. I couldn’t stand by and watch him throw away what I wish I could have back with my dad. It wasn’t right and I just wanted him to really see the implications of his damn arrogance.”

Ali chuckles softly at her girlfriend’s insistence and sits up to meet her gaze. “So you were thinking about us having babies even _that_ long ago?” she teases, her hand going to her wife’s collar.

“I lost you once before I even had you and almost lost you again once I did. There was no way I was letting you go again, Alex,” she replies with a fierce honesty, her eyes conveying the truth in her words.

Ali slips her hand inside the blonde’s collar and begins softly running her fingers up and down her neck, brushing them through her soft hair. “Why are you so amazing?” she asks sweetly as she props herself up more on her elbow, now hovering over her.

Ashlyn casts a glance at the clock beside her head and the vivid red numbers make her smile brightly. “I’ve got a few more minutes to show you just how amazing I am,” she answers huskily with a cocky smirk.

Before Ali can even respond, she finds herself on her back again, with her wife pressing down on top of her. “Better make it quick, stud,” she replies, her hands slipping to the buttons of her wife’s jacket as Ashlyn leans down to capture her lips in a deep, passionate kiss.


End file.
